


Immunity

by Wowser2004



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Drama, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-01-31 12:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21446146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wowser2004/pseuds/Wowser2004
Summary: NOTE: This fic is discontinued because I lost interest in writing.Max comes back to Arcadia Bay and meets old friends and finds out that they are weird, just like herself.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Chloe Price, Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Warren Graham, Rachel Amber & Chloe Price
Comments: 1
Kudos: 15





	1. DAY 1: August 30, 2013 - Max's is back in A.B.

**Route 6, Oregon**  
**Friday, August 30, 2013 **  
**1:01PM**

Max and her parents were driving along route 6, back to Arcadia Bay. She was grinning because soon she will see her best friend Chloe in person again. But that wasn't the only reason Max came back. After countless attempts, she got finally accepted at Blackwell Academy. The famous photographer Mark Jefferson teaches photography there.

_ No more mom and dad. I'm gonna live on my own from tomorrow on. I can't wait to see Chloe— _

"Look!" A sudden loud voice interrupted Max's thoughts. It was Ryan, her dad. He pointed at the opposite lane, where an accident happened. It was a doe, hit by a car. It looked like the doe disintegrated on impact, deforming the front of the car. Its intestines and blood splattered all over the road.

Sitting at the back of the car, behind the driver's seat, Max took a photo of the gored deer, using her Polaroid camera. Her nose wrinkled up in disgust, _this is not going on my new photo wall, _she thought.

At high speed, a flatbed truck approached the traffic jam, which has formed behind the accident scene. Ryan, who was the driver, flashed his headlights to warn the drivers. Unfortunately, it was too late. Max could feel the adrenaline running through her veins when she heard the screeching tires.

At first, there was the sound of metal impacting metal. It was the flatbed truck, squashing the first car like a can. But then there was silence, and Max was shocked, everything was frozen, and their car was not going forward anymore. _What is going on, _she thought, as she tried to move her body, but she was unable to do so.

Max was still able to move her eyeballs, and so she looked around. Her color vision was gone. Everything except inside their car looked blurry. The speedometer showed 45 MPH, and there was a piece of metal floating in the air, around 100 feet in front of them. _We are still moving! Did I freeze time? _ Max thought.

Trying to move her body as hard as possible caused a sharp pain in her head, and Max noticed that that piece of metal started to fly toward their car's windshield. _God damned, this thing could hit my parents, I have to do something,_ Max thought, she now was able to move her body slowly.

That piece of metal was a shock absorber from that flatbed truck. For Max, it looked like it will smash through the windshield and hit her mom on the passenger seat. When Max moved her hand toward her mom's head, she could feel the nerve signal traveling through her body.

It felt like moving through thick slime, and when Max managed to grab her mom's hair, the shock absorber was already piercing through the windshield. Max pulled as hard as she could, and it was a success. She pulled her mom's head to the left, and the shock absorber flew past her and landed on the back seat beside Max.

When Max let go of her hair, time started to flow normally again. Unfortunately, blood began to pour out of her nose. Also, a sharp pain formed on the left side of her head. _I did it! I saved my mom! _ Max thought as her peripheral vision started to fade out. Her headache got worse, and she felt like passing out any second. Ryan parking their car on the side of the road was the last thing she remembered before she lost her consciousness.

At the back of the car, in her mom's arms, Max regained her consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she found a concerned look on her mom's face. Her hoodie was drenched in blood.

"Max, what the hell?" Vanessa yelled, rubbing Max's shoulder, "Ryan, she's awake!  
  
"Oh my god, you're alive!" Max whispered, rubbing her forehead.

"Because of you, Max! You saved me! Thank you!" Vanessa said, hugging Max tightly and kissing her on her freckled cheeks.

The sound of ambulance and police horns wailed in the distance. In her mom's arm, Max told the police officer everything, except that time, was frozen and slowed down for her.

Standing with her parents at the side of the road, Max asked, "So what are we going to do now?" 

"Arcadia Bay is only 20 miles away, we will call a tow truck, and they will bring us there," Ryan answered, getting his phone out of his pockets.

Still in shock, Max exhaled in relief, she managed to save her mom, and she could not wait to see Chloe and her new dorm at Blackwell Academy.

"And the car?" Max asked, pointing at the smashed windshield. "It's just the windshield we will fix it there," Ryan answered, before hugging Max, "And thank you for saving mom, pumpkin." 

Around one hour later, they arrived at a workshop. Max's parents will stay at a nearby hotel until their car's windshield is finished beeing replaced. Max only took her essential things, her Polaroid camera, her bag, and a few spare clothes out of the car.

The hotel room was clean and had two big beds in it. However, Max would rather be in with Chloe or her new dorm at Blackwell. After she went to the bathroom to change her bloody hoodie, she texted Chloe and asked her if she wanted to hang out.

Max: I arrived!  
Chloe: Yay! u can crash at my place  
Chloe: I can pick you up  
Max: Sounds good, but I'm at a hotel rn  
Max: A.B inn.  
Max: We had a little accident but no worries.  
Chloe: Sure.  
Chloe: 20min?  
Max: Perfect!😋  
Chloe: NO EMOJI!

_Perfect, now I have to tell my parents,_ Max thought. She then told her mom that she is going to say at Chloe's house while their car getting fixed.

Vanessa raised her eyebrows. "Okay, honey, but be careful. You know how Chloe can be," she warned.

Max put her hands on her hips. "Mom, please. Chloe is my best friend," she protested.

Vanessa was worried because Chloe was always a little punk, drinking alcohol, tattoos, dyed hair, and hanging out with shady people. Max kept in touch with her, and she changed even more during the time Max was away. The most notable change was that Chloe began to smoke weed and that she has a girlfriend now.

Max was waiting for Chloe outside the hotel. She was nervously shifting her body from side to side at the thought of Chloe's girlfriend, Rachel Amber. Hanging around with Chloe means that she will meet Rachel soon. For Max, Rachel was a mystery. The only thing she knew is that she was beautiful and that everyone knew and loved her.

When Max heard a low-pitched rumbling noise in the distance, she knew it was Chloe's truck. _So she did manage to fix this thing, awesome,_ Max thought, as she waved to Chloe.

Chloe got out of her truck and yelled, "You're finally back, Max!"

"I missed you so much," Max said, on the verge of tears. Hugging Chloe, Max noticed the smell of alcohol and weed on her._ I feel like I'm getting high by just hugging her,_ Max thought.

They hopped into the truck, and Chloe asked her first question. "So how was Portland?"

"Uh, it was a little bit boring and lonely, but otherwise okay," Max said while staring at the graffiti and stickers inside the truck.

"Really? I always thought you preferred to be alone, and you hated too much attention," Chloe exclaimed.

"Well, I preferred to be with you, and not completely alone," Max said, giving Chloe a cheeky grin.

Chloe responded with a giggle, and quickly glanced at the camera hanging around Max's neck. "You still use that old camera?"

Max nodded. "Yep, I'm still into photography."

To Max's delight, Chloe truck did not break down, and they arrived safely at Chloe's home. They got out of their truck, and Chloe said, "Home shit home."

Chloe rushed to her room while Max looked into the living room and the garage. Not much has changed since Max left, except for the garage, which is now a mechanic shop. There was also a locked gun safe inside. _These must be David's guns, Chloe's new stepdad, _Max thought, she knew that Chloe's mom, Joyce married a former soldier, David Madsen.

To Max's surprise, Chloe's room was even dirtier than before she left. There was trash laying everywhere, empty pizza and beer bottles, graffiti and posters, and her room smelled like weed.

Chloe was lying on her bed, with her hands behind her head. Max sat down beside her, and she was eager to know about what happened in Arcadia Bay during the time she was away.

Chloe stared at the ceiling. "Well, you left, and a few weeks later, my mom married a Nazi."

Max asked, "These are his guns in the garage?" Chloe quickly answered, "Yep."

Joyce marrying wasn't the only interesting thing that happened in Arcadia Bay.

"You know Nathan Prescott, right?" Chloe asked.

Max scratched her head, "Uh, that's the rich prick from middle school."

Chloe growled. "Yep, his dad bought the Two Whale Diner, the harbor, he probably even owns Blackhell now. I'm telling you, these bastards are trying to take over this shithole."

Max remembered Nathan from middle school, and thinking about him made Max's stomach turn around. _Nathan was always a rich bully who thinks he owns everyone and everything, _Max thought.

"Ra... uh, people told me that he once threw a chair at a teacher and that he screams at night," Chloe said, stuttering.

"Rachel?" Max questioned inquisitively.

"Still nosy, huh?" Chloe exclaimed. "But yeah, Rachel was my girlfriend, but not anymore, because someone has sent me a photo a photo of her kissing our drug dealer."

Max chuckled. "Uh, Chloe, drug dealer?" she questioned.

Chloe shook her head. "Dude, this town is hella crazy," she said and then raised her arm defensively, "I mean, how else can I survive in this shithole?"

Chloe stood up and took a joint from under the bed, lighting it. "Much better," she moaned, as she took a deep inhale of her joint.

The room filled with smoke, from Chloe's burning joint, and Max heard a door and footsteps downstairs. "Chloe, did you hear that? Max asked, worrying that Chloe's stepdad just arrived home.

A stoned smile formed on Chloe's face. "I am hearing a lot of things right now," she said, lying on her bed. Her arms and legs were spread out, clearly not caring about anything right now.

Suddenly, a loud, manly voice reverberated through the house. "Chloe, I'm back."

Max winced, and Chloe yelled back, "Yeah, whatever."

Chloe stood up and put her joint into the ashtray on her desk. "So, Max, did... do have any boyfriends right now?" she asked, sitting down on her bed.

Max sat down beside her and stared into Chloe's blue eyes, _wowser, her eyes look so pretty,_ she thought before answering, "Chloe, you know the answer, no."

To Chloe's enjoyment, Max's face turned red. "What about girlfriends, huh?" 

Max stuttered, "Ugh, Chloe, that's I'm you know, uh I'm focused on my photos... photography so yeah no—,"

Suddenly Chloe interrupted Max, playfully elbowing her. "Dude, relax I'm just messing with you."

Chloe eyeballed Max's outfit. "You haven't changed at all, you're still Max Caulfield," she said while grinning.

In response, Max looked around Chloe's room, and then said, "Alcohol, drugs, blue hair, and tattoos, you're still Chloe Price."

They both laughed, and after grabbing her joint, Chloe decided to pot some music on. A punk indie song, Piano Fire by Sparklehorse, was playing at maximum volume.

"Can't dance, hippy?" Chloe yelled as she jumped on her bed, dancing around and laughing. _Oh man, this day could not get any better,_ Max thought, while gently trying to move her body and her arms to the rhythm of the song.

Despite the loud music, Max heard someone stomping up the stairs. She rushed to the stereo system, turned it off, and warned Chloe, who rushed to her desk and put her joint out in her ashtray.

A few moments later, David stormed into the room, grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. "Chloe, what is going, and who the hell is this?" he asked, pointing at Max.

Max walked away from David toward Chloe. She crossed her arms and stared on the ground.

Chloe did not say anything, she just stood there frozen in shock, which made David even angrier. "I asked you a question, soldier. Who is this?" he growled.

Chloe took a deep breath. "Dude, relax. She is my best friend and not a threat to you."

"Oh, I know all of your so-called friends, bringing drugs into my house!" he said, staring at Max.

Chloe suddenly yelled, "Aw, fuck off man! I knew her since I was a little kid," before sneering at him, "She probably spent more nights in this house than you."

David did not respond to Chloe. He glared at Max for a moment and stroked his chin as if he was trying to figure something out. When he saw the joint inside the ashtray, he started to yell, "Chloe, weed in my house, how often do I have to tell that—"

Suddenly, Chloe interrupted him. "Dude, shut your fucking mouth and get the fuck out of my room," she yelled.

Chloe yelled so loud that Max covered her ears with her hands and shut her eyes tightly. When there was silence, Max tried to uncover her ears and open her eyes. However, she was unable to do so because her body was frozen. Her vision was pitch black, and there was absolute silence. She didn't even hear her faint tinnitus anymore.

Max eyelids were shut so tightly and frozen in time, that she wasn't even able to move her eyeballs. She then screamed in her thoughts, _am I in hell or something? Why can't I move? _ and it seemed to work.

The sudden light blinded Max as she opened her eyes. Time was still flowing at a slowed down rate. David was standing in front of Chloe, and his right palm was flying toward Chloe's face. _He is going to slap her! No way am I going to let him hurt Chloe._

Max needed a plan, and she had one. It was simple, still, in slow motion, she punched David's wrist mid-air, and so, caused him to miss. The impact of Max's hand on David's wrist caused the time to flow normally again, and he held his wrist in pain.

David moved his face so close to Max that she could feel his breath on her face. "You," he whispered, "Trust me, from now I'm going to watch every step you make."

Before David left the room, he glanced at Chloe for a moment and said, "One day, you'll grow up."

Chloe started to giggle like a little girl. "Holy shit Max that was hella crazy!" she shrieked before hugging Max.

However, Max seemed to be in distress. She freed herself from Chloe hug and then sat down on the bed. Chloe became worried when blood started to drip out of Max's nose. She rushed to her desk and grabbed a few tissue papers.

Chloe held the tissue paper against Max's nose with one hand, and asked, "Max, what the fuck is going on?" while rubbing Max's neck with her other.

Max slowly turned her head to Chloe, and said, "I saved your ass." Her eyes were half-open, and her voice sounded nasal.


	2. DAY 1: Blackwell Academy

Max's shirt was drenched in blood, and she felt a sharp, pulsating pain in her head. It was just like during the accident on her way to Arcadia Bay. However, thanks to Chloe's gentle fingers on her neck, the pain slowly faded away. Taking a nap seemed like a good idea right now, so Max asked Chloe, "Can I have a blanket?" 

Holding Max's body up with one hand, Chloe quickly grabbed a blanket from her bed with her other hand.

"Here," Chloe whispered, putting the blanket around Max.

"Thank you," Max whispered back. She was now resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. 

Chloe put her right arm around Max and asked, "So, Supermax, care to explain your sudden ninja moves?" 

_Wowser, it feels so good being in her arms. I wish I could stay in this moment forever, _ Max thought, before asking back, "You know when people are in a bad car accident, right?" 

"Like my dad?" Chloe cried out, causing Max to feel a lump in her throat.

Max nodded and shut her eyes. "Sometimes, they say that they saw everything in slow motion."

"Are you talking about an adrenaline rush?" Chloe asked.

"Yep, the same thing happened to me. For me, time was almost frozen," Max replied.

"Holy shit, that's amazeballs! You're crazy in the brain!" Chloe playfully giggled.

Max kept her eyes closed, and a smile crept on her face. She enjoyed being in Chloe's arms, and the feeling of warmth overcoming her. After a long period of silence, her breathing slowed down.

Chloe noticed that. "You should rest for a while, you little cutie," she teased.

Max kept her silence and took a deep breath before crawling toward the right side of Chloe's bed. Chloe watched how Max landed face-first into the pillow, wrapping herself into the blanket. The cushion almost swallowed Max's whole head.

"I hope your new daddy doesn't come back," Max joked, her voice was muffled under the pillow.

Chloe snorted. "Ha-ha, you're so funny. One more joke like this, and you're gonna get tickled," she warned.

Max didn't respond to Chloe's light-hearted threat. Instead, she let her mind slowly drift into sleep. 

A scene formed in Max's mind. Everything was blurry, and she was sitting on a soft seat. She heard an engine growling, and then the sound of tires screeching. The sound of glass, shattering, followed shortly after. Then, a soft, squishy, jelly-like substance splashed on Max's face, causing Max to gag. When Max removed the pinkish matter from her face, her phone rang, and she woke up. 

_ What the hell was that? That sounded so real, _ Max thought, as her eyes shot up. 

Max wanted to get out of bed, but there was something on her chest. Looking to the left revealed it was Chloe, laying on her side, facing Max. Her arm was tightly around Max's chest, holding her down.

Max could feel Chloe's heartbeat and hear her faint snoring. _That's so damn cute, I should take a photo. _

Before taking a photo, Max wanted to check her phone. She remembered putting it beside the bed, on the ground. Her phone was in arms reach, she managed to grab it, and then read the message.  
  
Mom: Hey honey, I just wanted to remind you to get the keys for your new dorm and your schedule.  
Mom: I can call you a taxi.  
Mom: By the way, is everything alright?   
  
_I don't need a taxi, I'll just ask Chloe, _ Max thought, she needed a chauffeur right now. 

Max: You don't have too.  
Max: I'm sure Chloe will be my taxi!  
Max: and thanks for reminding me.  
Mom: Alright, but be careful.   
Mom: XOXO

_Okay, time to wake her up, _Max thought. She stroked Chloe's arm and whispered, "Chloe, wake up."

Chloe didn't react.

Max tapped on Chloe's arm and slightly raised her voice, "Chloe!" 

Chloe didn't react.

Max tickled Chloe's arm, which made Chloe moan and strengthening her grip on her chest.

_Ouch! I guess I'll take a photo then.  
_

Max's Polaroid camera was laying on the window-still behind her. She grabbed it and pointed the camera at Chloe's face before pressing the button. The sound of the camera's flash caused Chloe to jump. 

"Maxi-pad, what the hell is going on?" Chloe mumbled out.

"Wake up, Chlo! You'll have to drive me to Blackwell!" Max whispered.

"But you're so comfy," Chloe protested, moving her face closer to Max's.

"C'mon, get out! You can sleep later," Max screeched out, causing Chloe to let out an exaggerated moan.

Chloe didn't move one inch, so Max had to use both of her arms to lift Chloe's arm to the side. She then kneeled beside Chloe and stared at her sleepy face. _I need to get her out of bed. _

Max grabbed Chloe's hands and pulled them up, using her legs as support. She managed to lift Chloe's upper body up. Chloe's head was dangling to the side, and a grin formed on her face.

"Max, what the fuck?" Chloe asked, confused.

"No time to sleep, we gotta head to Blackwell. I need to grab my schedule and keys," Max said.

Chloe rolled her eyes. Suddenly, her hands lunged toward the sides of Max's hips, tickling her. 

Max let out a few desperate shrieks and grabbed Chloe's wrists. "Oh my god, Chloe! Please, stop, I give up!"

Chloe chuckled, and let go of Max. "You're still ticklish as ever."

"God damned, you scared the shit outta me," Max complained.

Chloe stood up, adjusted her clothes, and rushed to her desk. She then grabbed her truck keys and a few joints. "You know what, Max. For saving my ass, I'll be your personal chauffeur and companion!" 

Max smiled in excitement and grabbed her camera and bag. 

The girls tiptoed downstairs, trying to avoid another confrontation with David. The stairs were squeaking, and Max heard the sound of fingers tapping on hard plastic. They took a peek into the living room and spotted David. He was sitting on the couch, typing something on his laptop. 

When Chloe whispered, "What do you think he is writing?" he stopped typing and stared blankly in the air. 

Max tilted her head toward Chloe, and whispered, "I don't know, didn't you tell me that he is a former soldier?" 

Chloe moved her mouth close to Max's ear and whispered, "Yeah, he is hella paranoid. I bet he is probably creating a file of you right now." Her soft voice made Max's spine tingle.

Sneaking past David, the two girls strolled toward Chloe's truck and got inside it. Before Chloe could turn the engine on, Max grabbed her by the wrist. 

"Look!" Max said, pointing at her bloody shirt. "I can't go like this! Can you borrow me some clothes?"

Chloe moaned in annoyance. "C'mon, no one is gonna notice that!"

Max rolled her eyes. "Seriously, the students are gonna think I murdered someone!"

Chloe caved in and gave Max the door key. "Okay then, my fresh clothes are on the ground by the way."

Max gave her a cheeky smile before rushing toward Chloe's house. She entered it and then her heart skipped a beat. David was standing in front of the stairs, blocking the way up.

"Who do you work for? The government?" David asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Uh, what do you mean? I just wanna change my clothes in Chloe's room," Max said.

"Yeah, I can see that. So, how are you doing this? Drugs?" David asked.

"I don't take any drugs, and Chloe is my best friend! You can ask Joyce if you don't believe me!" Max said, hoping to convince him to leave her alone.

David crossed his arm. "Yeah," he muttered out. He seemed to be at loss of words for a moment. "I know... you... just be careful. Joyce talked good about you. But I'm still watching you closely, so don't try anything funny."

"Okay, but... I didn't do anything to Chloe or you! Why are you so hostile to me?" Max asked. 

David ignored Max's question. "You should stay away from Blackwell," he muttered out before walking inside the living room.

_ Wowser, I should stay from Blackwell? I wonder why he thinks so and what is going on there. _

Max hurried upstairs, entering Chloe's room. She found a white shirt with a big black butterfly on it. She quickly changed into it and rushed back toward Chloe.

"Did you meet Sergeant Pepper?" Chloe asked. The engine squealed when she turned the ignition key. 

"Yes, and he is kinda obsessed with me. He warned me to stay away from Blackwell," Max said.

"Yep, and he is the security guard there," Chloe warned.

"At Blackwell? Are you serious?" Max complained. She rested her head against the window.

"I'm serious. And he thinks that something fishy is going there." Chloe said. 

"Well, I gotta watch out then."

The truck roared deafeningly, gathering the stares of the townspeople. _I hope we will survive the ride. _Max thought. She stared out of the window and realized, "Everything looks the same. This town hasn't changed at all." 

"Except that the Prescott's now almost owns all of the buildings, including the Two Whales Diner," Chloe remarked.

"Is it really that bad? And does it affect you?" Max asked.

"Of course it affects me, dude! Nathan started buying almost all the good drugs from Frank!" Chloe gave Max a quick glance. "And since his dad bought the Two Whales Diner, my mom is even more stressed out."

"Well, have you tried not taking any drugs, and being nice to your mom?" Max suggested, she was smirking out of the window.

Chloe playfully slapped Max's thigh. "You know what? You're still such a smart-ass!"

Max chuckled, and a few moments later, she saw the football stadium, which belonged to Blackwell Academy in the distance. Chloe pulled into Blackwell's parking lot and decided to wait for Max near her truck.

"Are you cereal? You're not allowed inside Blackwell and the campus?" Max questioned.

Chloe crossed her arms, leaning against her truck. "The principal is a drunken asshole, and the Prick-Scotts practically own him now," Chloe complained.

Max's eyes widened. "But really, what did you do?"

Chloe shrugged. "I skipped too many classes, my grades were shit. Plus vandalism, playing pranks and taking drugs with Rachel." 

Max raised her eyebrows. "You were under the influence of drugs in school?" 

Chloe grinned. "Me and Rachel were high as a kite during drama class, and we made an ass out of ourselves." 

"And then?" Max asked curiously.

Chloe chuckled before lighting a joint. "The teacher sent us to the principle. I talked shit to him, and I guess he had enough of me."

Max's face contorted into sadness. "Me leaving Arcadia Bay didn't do you any good, am I right?" she asked. 

Chloe approached Max and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Dude, I remember your super sad face and how miserable you felt when got rejected by Blackwell for the third time. I can't really blame you for leaving this shit hole with your parents."

"I guess you're right," Max said, she gave Chloe an apologetic smile and left her at her truck. 

Max strolled along the path toward the main entrance. She moved her head to the left and right, carefully observing her surroundings. Students were scattered all around the campus. There was a statue of Blackwell Jeremiah in the middle of the campus. The statue was surrounded by a fountain. Near the main street were a few skater boys, doing tricks on a bench.

Three girls were sitting in a circle under a tree. One of there girls got Max's attention. She had a pixie haircut and was wearing expensive designer clothes. Max remembered the girl from middle school. It was Victoria Chase, a rich, stuck-up bully who demanded attention from everyone around her. Just like Max, she was also into photography. 

_ I hope I won't have to share any classes with her. _

It wasn't Max's first time inside Blackwell. Before she got accepted, she had to do an interview with the principal, Raymond Wells. She also talked with Mark Jefferson, who admired her photos. Max suspected that she got her scholarship thanks to him. 

Entering Blackwell, Max rushed directly to the secretary's office and knocked on the door. A female voice came from inside. "Come in." 

Max opened the door and stared at the secretary. She was a white, blonde woman in her 30s. 

"Uh, hello, I need... I'm here to get my uh... keys and schedule," Max stuttered out.

The woman nodded. "I need your name and date of birth."

"Max... Maxine Caulfield, September 21, 1995," Max muttered, scratching her head.

"Excellent, now please take a seat," the woman ordered, pointing at the chairs. "You'll have to wait for a moment."

Max sat down and gave her a weak smile.

The woman typed something on her computer, and then asked, "Have you already got your student ID?"

Max shook her head. "No!" 

The woman walked to the key rack, grabbing a set of keys, and then back to her computer. She typed something again, and a few moments later, the printer chugged out two papers. On one paper was Max's schedule printed on, on the other, her ID. Using a scissor, she cut out the ID part of the paper, and then put both, her schedule and ID through the laminator on her desk.

"Here," the woman said, holding Max's ID and schedule in front of Max's face. 

"Oh, thank you," Max said, accepting her stuff.

Before leaving the office, Max took a quick look at her schedule. Everything looked normal, except "showname_B1OT21F2015" was printed on the top right on her schedule plan.

"Um, excuse me, Ma'am. Are you sure this is my schedule?" Max asked, pointing at "showname_B1OT21F2015".

"You are Maxine Caulfield, right?" the woman asked.

Max nodded shyly.

"Then it's yours!" the woman said.

Max decided not to complain and left the office without a word. She texted Chloe on her way outside and met up with her beside the statue of Jeremiah Blackwell. Max sat down on the edge of the fountain, and Chloe arrived a few moments later.

"You got your stuff?" Chloe asked, approaching Max.

"I guess so. But I'm still weirded out about David, and my slow-mo perception thingy." Max said. 

"Yeah, he is just a paranoid asshole. He probably has PTSD or something." Chloe assumed.

Max sighed and said, "Yep, kinda scary, and Chloe?" before pointing at the statue.

"Yeah?" 

"Can I take a photo of you in front of the statue?" Max asked.

Chloe smiled, and yelled "Sure," as she jumped on the edge of the fountain. Sadly, when she landed on top of it, her right foot slipped on the wet stone. Her body tilted backward, and her arms flew up in the air.

"Fuck," Chloe screamed. Her scream changed from a high pitched shriek to a low pitched whale-like grunt. 

Max's color vision faded away. Her visual field narrowed, and objects seemed to change in size. Time slowed down again, and Chloe's body almost froze mid-air.

_ Again, god damned. What the hell do I do now? _

It felt like moving through thick, wet concrete. But still, Max managed to lift her right leg, and then hit the ground with it like a hammer. She gained momentum, and in slow-motion, sprinted toward the falling Chloe. 

When Max was in front of the fountain, Chloe was already floating back-first above the water._ No way I'm able to catch her. _

Trying to avoid hitting the fountain, Max used her right leg and the momentum to jump above it. She flew past Chloe and landed feet first into the water. Max's newfound superpower seemed to amplify her muscle speed and strength. From an outsider's perspective, she flew past Chloe like a flying squirrel.

Using her legs, Max braked inside the fountain until she came to a halt. A little bit of water splashed on her face, causing the time to flow normally.

Max turned around and saw Chloe floating on the water, looking like she was taking a bath.

"Fuck this shit," Chloe yelled. 

Max waddled through the water toward Chloe. She offered her a hand, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I fucking slipped, dude! But I'm not hurt," Chloe yelled.

Max helped Chloe up and saw that Chloe's nipples were poking through her wet shirt. For a moment, Max stared at them.

Chloe noticed that. "You like that seeing me wet, huh?" she joked. 

"Not really, I...I just don't... want you to become sick or something," Max warned, sounding sincere.

Chloe giggled. "Maxine, you're way too innocent for this world. Blackwell will eat you alive."

Max touched Chloe's wet shirt and asked, "Uh, so you wanna drive home or to change or...?" 

"Rachel lives in one of the dorms, I'll ask her for spare clothes," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened. "Rachel lives here?"

"Yep, she got her own dorm," Chloe said, her body was shivering and water was dripping off her wet clothes.

Suddenly, Max felt a sharp pain in her knees and forehead. Then, her legs gave up and she collapsed.


	3. DAY 1: An angry guy is angry

Max's weak, aching knees buckled under the weight of her body. Thankfully, Chloe grabbed her under the arm, preventing her from falling to the ground. Max groaned in pain and pressed her palms against her face. 

"Oh my god! I think I ripped my leg muscles in half!" Max wailed out. She rested her head on Chloe's wet thigh.  
  
Chloe wrapped her arm around Max's back, asking, "Maxine! What is going with you? Are you hurt?"  
  
"I think I'm fine, don't worry. It's just the pain in my knees," Max complained, reaching out her hand. "Can you help me up?"   
  
"Sure." Chloe grabbed Max's hand, lifting her up. "Can you walk?"  
  
"Yeah, but you gotta support me," Max demanded, still holding Chloe's hand.  
  
Chloe giggled nervously. "Oh, okay. It's your first day in Arcadia Bay, and we're already holding hands."   
  
Max responded by nudging Chloe's elbow and giving her a cheeky smile. "Yep, I just really missed you."  
  
Unlike Chloe, Max's jeans were only wet up to the knee. She was still wearing her messenger bag over her shoulders. However, looking inside revealed that her camera was missing. 

_No way, this can't be happening. Don't tell me I dropped it on the ground or in the water. _

Looking at the ground near the fountain confirmed Max's worst fear. She dropped her Polaroid camera on the ground, causing it to shatter into two pieces.

Max let go of Chloe's hand and yelled, "No way, look, it's broken!" She then rushed to her broken camera.  
  
Chloe followed Max, asking, "Can you fix it?"  
  
"Ouch, yes, It's just the top part," Max said with a pained expression. Her knees still felt weak, and her head was throbbing again.   
  
Max picked up all the pieces and analyzed the damage. The flash unit, which was one of the few moving parts, broke off. The ejection slot was partly dented on the left side. Max took a selfie to check if the camera is still working, but the camera wouldn't spit out the photo. _Shit, the ejection motor is broken. _  
  
"Great, now I'll have to find a super fine screwdriver or somehow a new Polaroid camera," Max complained. Her head was tilted down, her eyes up, staring at Chloe like a sad puppy. "And the plastic... I might need some glue too... shit."  
  
Chloe moaned and rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that look, please. You said you can fix it, right?"  
  
Avoiding eye contact, Max gave her a halfhearted nod. However, she didn't move one inch. Chloe had to grab her under her arm and drag her toward the stairs, which led to the dorms.  
  
Victoria was still under the tree with her minions. She had her phone in her hand, with the camera pointing at Max. Seeing the shit-eating grin on her face, Max realized, _Yep, she hasn't changed since middle school. Still a bitch._  
  
Chloe showed Victoria the finger and then stumbled with Max across the campus. Max supported herself on Chloe, wrapping her arm around her neck. Still, every step hurt, and her leg muscles felt sore. 

Ignoring the weird looks from the students, they walked along the path and reached the dormitory yard. Max immediately spotted the Tobanga totem on the hill, at the far back. 

_That thing looks ominous, but somehow, I feel attracted to it,_ Max thought,_ realizing, this is so weird, my legs don't hurt anymore._  
  
The dormitory entrance had scaffolding around it. A few benches were in front of it. A girl Max didn't recognize was sitting with her legs crossed on one of them. Nathan Prescott was standing in front of her. It sounded like he was trying to convince the girl of something.  
  
The girl was dressed somewhat conservatively. Looking at her grey skirt, which stopped above her knees, her golden hair, which was tied to a bun, and her golden necklace, Max realized, _she is kinda pretty._

"Trust me. You're gonna like it there!" Nathan blurted out. He was pacing back and forth.   
  
"You know that I'm not the type of girl who goes to parties," the girl argued, not even bothering to look into his eyes.  
  
Nathan chuckled. "Aw, c'mon, it's not like you're gonna fuck someone there."   
  
The girl shook her head. "I don't think I will go. I read the newspaper. People doing hard drugs, fighting, and it's like a cult now!"  
  
"It's just fucking rumors! And let me tell you something, all the drinks are sponsored by the Vortex Club! You don't have to pay a single penny!" Nathan claimed. 

"And what about Rachel? If the security guard wasn't there, she would've been... you know... kidnapped... or even worse," the girl questioned.

"Whatever. If you change your mind, you know where the party is!" Nathan said, his movements were jumpy, and he kept scratching his shoulder. 

"At the swimming pool, right?" the girl asked, raising her head.  
  
Nathan nodded. "Yes, and the party begins at 8 PM, don't be late!"   
  
The blonde girl stared quietly on the ground, shaking her head. The corners of her lips tightened. Max could see the look of contempt on her face.   
  
In the corner of her eyes, Max noticed that Chloe was shivering, and water dropped off her wet clothes to the ground. _I need to get her inside, or she's gonna get sick. _  
  
Suddenly, Max's phone rang, causing Nathan to spot them. Max and Chloe pretended that they didn't listen to their conversation and walked casually toward the dormitory entrance. However, Nathan scowled, narrowing his eyes, and then he slowly approached the girls. Intimidated by Nathan's aggressive body stance, Max subconsciously shifted her body toward Chloe. 

"What the fuck do you bitches think you are doing here?" Nathan asked.  
  
"Uh, nothing, we're just heading inside the dorms," Max said, her voice was shaky and faint.  
  
"Yeah, totally. You fucking bitches were spying on me!" Nathan complained. He approached Max, tilting his body toward her.   
  
"No, we're not!" Chloe stated, crossing her arms.  
  
"Shut the fuck up," Nathan ordered. His gaze switched to Chloe. "Do you whores even know who I am?"  
  
Chloe snapped. "Of course, I know you're the mentally ill punk ass who talks to himself."  
  
"What the fuck did you just say?" Nathan yelled, taking a step toward Chloe.  
  
"I said, you are the freak who is pumping kids with drugs and screams at night like a little bitch," Chloe shouted, getting close to his face.  
  
"Guys, please calm down," Max pleaded, but Nathan suddenly grabbed her right wrist.  
  
"Don't tell me what to do, whore! I own you, and this shithole!" Nathan loudly said. He moved his face so close to Max's that they almost touched each other's forehead. Max was staring into his blue, bloodshot eyes. His strong scent of cologne and cigarettes made her nose burn.

_Hmm, he also looks kinda attractive. And my slow-motion didn't—_

Chloe suddenly screamed on top of her lungs, interrupting Max's thoughts, "Don't you fucking touch her, you motherfucker!" She lunged toward Nathan, pushing him away from Max. Letting go of Max, Nathan staggered back, almost falling to the ground.   
  
Max's heart was pounding, and her breaths were shortened._ I can't let this situation escalate!_ She jumped in front of Chloe, lifting her arms defensively. "C'mon Chloe, he's not worth it." 

Nathan adjusted his pants, and Max heard him mutter, "Fucking cunts," under his breath. Max grabbed Chloe's hand, pulling her to the dormitories. To everyone's surprise, Nathan actually calmed down. 

"God, these fucking rich assholes always think they're above us," Chloe complained, kicking the dorm door.  
  
Max nodded, opening the door. "Let's get inside."   
  
Max took a quick look back. The girl was still sitting on the bench. Max gave her a friendly smile, and she smiled back, waving her hand. Nathan was following Chloe's water trail on the ground, walking toward the main campus.   
  
Entering the dorms, Max realized,_ my slow-mo thing didn't trigger, thank god Nathan didn't go berserk on Chloe._  
  
"Who was that girl on the bench?" Max asked, walking with Chloe upstairs, where the girls' dorms were.   
  
"Uh, I think Rachel mentioned her, Its Kath... Katie or Kate, I'm not sure. I know that she's super religious or something, but I don't care. You know, I got my own problems," Chloe revealed.

"Hmm, okay," Max said. She checked the new message on her phone.

Mom: Hey, honey. I just had a conversation with Joyce and her husband.  
Mom: Can you home back to the hotel? I'm a little worried.  
  
_David talked to my mom? This is getting creepy now. I really wonder what's going on in his mind. _

Max: Ok, loll. I hope I'm not in trouble.  
Mom: Don't worry, you are not.  
Max: I'm coming back in an hour, ok?  
Mom: Alright :)

_Don't worry, she says, hmm... but I'm still kinda nervous._

As they walked upstairs, Max heard the faint bass of a stereo system. The music was blaring out of room number 218, and all the doors were closed in the hallway.  
  
Thinking about Rachel Amber, Max's heart began to flatter. She asked Chloe, "Where does Rachel live?" noticing that Chloe's blue hair dye is dripping on her shirt.   
  
Chloe pointed at the first room to the left. "Right here," she said, before approaching the door. "Let's pay the cheating hoe a visit!"  
  
"No, please! Wait!" Max shrieked out, grabbing Chloe's hand. "I don't wanna go, I'm way too nervous! I'll wait in my dorm, okay?"  
  
"C'mon, don't leave me now!" Chloe whined, putting her hands on Max's shoulder. "She is gonna like you!"  
  
Max chuckled. "Yeah, totally, I'm literally the opposite of her, personality-wise."  
  
"Oh, trust me. You two are very similar, but not in the way you think," Chloe claimed.  
  
"No way." Max shook her head. "She's like super popular, looks like a model, while I'm just a girl with a broken camera."  
  
"Maxine Caulfield!" Chloe protested, stomping on the ground. "Stop selling yourself short!"  
  
"What if she doesn't like me? If she thinks I'm weird, then everyone thinks I'm weird!" Max complained, thinking,_ holy crap, I sound like a fourth-grader right now. I'm so pathetic._  
  
Chloe let out an exasperated sigh when suddenly, the door of Rachel's dorm opened. A girl with long blonde hair and a blue feather earring peeked through the door. She was wearing a white tank top, and her blue denim shorts made her legs look really long, or at least Max thought so.  
  
It was Rachel Amber, and she smirked when she saw Chloe, dripping wet. She stood there with her arms and legs crossed. "Well, that was fast... I see. You already found a substitute for me, huh?" Her gaze shifted to Chloe. "And you're wet as hell! She must be doing good!"   
  
"Ha-ha, you're so hilarious!" Chloe said with a hint of sarcasm. "And yes, Max is back, and I'm hella wet holding hands with her, so whatever? You and I are not together anymore, so it doesn't matter," Chloe shot out.  
  
"Whoa! Calm down!" Rachel's eyes widened, and she started to laugh. "So, her name is Max?" 

Rachel approached Max, eyeballing her from head to toe. "No way! Maxine fucking Caulfield? Chloe told me everything about you!" she screeched out.   
  
"Uh... yeah, I... only the good things, I hope..." Max mumbled out, crossing her arms over her chest. _Keep calm, Max. You can do this._  
  
Chloe interrupted, "Yeah, its Max. And I need to borrow some spare clothes from you!"  
  
Rachel gestured at her dorm. "Come on inside then." She then walked inside. "You too, Max." 

"Sounds like a good idea, I'll wait inside my dorm meanwhile okay," Max hastily spoke out, trying to walk away.   
  
However, Chloe placed her hand on her shoulder from behind. "Max, c'mon, Rachel won't bite, please just fucking trust me, okay?"  
  
Biting her nails, Max slowly turned around toward Chloe. She stared at the floor, tiredly tilting her head to the right. "I just don't want to embarrass myself; you know how weird I am sometimes."  
  
"So what? Who gives a shit? You're here for photography anyways!" Chloe said.  
  
"Maybe you're right, Chlo," Max said, thinking,_ I better get this over with, I'll have to meet her sooner or later anyway. _  
  
Rachel's room number was 224. "All I need is coffee and weed" was written on her door slate. A cute dog was drawn below it. Her dorm looked kinda interesting. To the left was a white wooden makeup desk. It had a big, illuminated mirror and various makeup products on it. On the opposite wall, right beside a big brown leather couch, was a computer desk with a laptop on it. 

A few chains of LED-lights were hanging across the ceiling, giving the room a warm and cozy look. This gave Max an idea. _I could hang lights like these over my new photo wall. Maybe some paper lanterns? Such a shame that all my stuff is still in my parents' car in the workshop. _  
  
Rachel walked straight to the couch, sitting down. Meanwhile, Chloe opened the wardrobe to the right. 

"Max, what do you think about my room?" Rachel asked.  
  
"It looks cool, very uh, it looks cozy as hell! I like it." Max stuttered out. She avoided eye contact with Rachel.   
  
Rachel patted the couch. "Don't be shy, take a seat." She then looked at the wet Chloe. "Take anything you need."  
  
"I will!" Chloe responded, rummaging through Rachel's wardrobe.   
  
Max sat down beside Rachel.

"So, Max, firstly, congratulations on getting accepted at Blackwell!" Rachel said, patting Max's shoulders.  
  
Max licked her dry lips. "Thank you, you have no idea how happy I was when I saw the letter."  
  
Rachel nodded, crossing her legs. "I heard Mark had something to with it."   
  
Max eyes widened. "Really? Where did you hear that? And yeah, he praised my work, so I guess... I got accepted... thanks to him," she said, thinking,_ Rachel just called him Mark, interesting. _  
  
Rachel chuckled, revealing, "I know, he showed your work to the whole class."  
  
"Wait? Really, well, I don't know, these photos weren't meant to be shown around, just for... you know... the application thingy," Max muttered through a dry mouth.   
  
_Holy crap, what is wrong with me? This is so embarrassing._  
  
While they were chatting, Chloe found a fitting pair of clothes. Max heard her wet clothes falling on the ground and saw her half naked body in her peripheral vision.

Rachel whistled at Chloe, yelling, "Not bad! I really like that tattoo."

Meanwhile, Max's gaze was fixed in front of her. Trying hard to not look at Chloe.

Chloe finished dressing up and was now wearing jeans and a black shirt with a white skeleton hand on it. "I don't trust me either" was written on it.  
  
"You look good, Chlo!" Rachel complimented.  
  
"I know! It's the only shirt that fits me!" Chloe said, taking three mushy joints out of her wet pants. "Fuck, Rachel! I need to dry them!"  
  
"Put them on the radiator," Rachel suggested.   
  
Leaving an utter mess at the wardrobe, Chloe put the three joints on the radiator under the window. She jumped on the couch, almost causing Max to fall to the ground.  
  
Max was now sitting awkwardly in the middle; her head bowed forward, and her hands clasped together. The was an awkward silence, which Rachel broke. "So, what are you girls planning today?"   
  
Chloe scratched her nose. "Not much, just checking out Max's new home and then maybe eating something."  
  
"Rachel nudged Max's elbow. "Sounds like a date, huh?"  
  
Chloe snapped, "Nah, we're just going to her dorm, dude! Not everything has to be a date, you know?"   
  
Max felt her face heating up in embarrassment, she thought, _What the hell did I get myself into?_  
  
"Chillax, dude! I'm just joking," Rachel said. She then looked at Max. "You alright? You look like a ghost!"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just thinking about my mom, she wants to talk to me, I'll have to head back to the hotel soon."  
  
Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Hmm, yeah. I remember how glad I was when I turned eighteen. No more annoying parents and I got my own little empire now."   
  
Chloe interrupted, "Dude, I know what you are trying to ask! Max is fucking eighteen, okay?"  
  
Rachel giggled. "Yeah, ha-ha, sure, but she looks like a baby!"  
  
"What the fuck?" Chloe asked, her eyes widened, and Max could swear that she grinned for a moment.  
  
Max's mind went blank; she suddenly searched for her ID inside her messenger bag. "Wanna see my ID?"   
  
Rachel stood up. "I'm just joking!" She then walked to the makeup desk and pulled a bag of weed and a pack of rolling paper out of the drawer.   
  
Sitting down, Rachel licked the tip of the rolling paper and then wiggled her tongue at Chloe. "You want some too?"   
  
Chloe grabbed Rachel's rolled up a joint. "Yeah, but don't expect me to forgive you for fucking with Frank."  
  
Rachel rolled her eyes. "How often do I have to tell you? I'm sorry!" She then looked at Max. "You wanna try some weed? It might help you with your anxiety."  
  
Max declined. "Yuck!"_ I'm not anxious, I'm just nervous for some reason._  
  
Taking a deep inhale of their joints, Rachel and Chloe leaned back on the couch. The room filled with smoke, which didn't help Max with her dry throat. She coughed loudly, covering her mouth.  
  
Max stood up, telling them, "I'm sorry, but the smoke is making me feel sick." She rushed to the window, opening it. "I hope you don't mind if I open this."  
  
Rachel's eyes were closed. Chloe had a stoned smirk on her face, she nodded without a word.  
  
Max looked out of the window and was confused. She had a complete overview of Arcadia Bay and the ocean. _Holy shit! It's like I'm on top of the lighthouse! _

The smell of weed and the faint music was gone. Instead, there was now the sound of a heart monitor and the smell of disinfectant in the air.

Max turned around and saw an unconscious girl lying on a hospital bed. It was Chloe, she had a bandage wrapped around her head, partly covering her blue hair.

_I'm in a hospital room, what the shit? And Chloe, what's wrong with her?_

"Chloe? Can you hear me?" Max screamed, sprinting toward Chloe. The heart monitor beside the bed showed a pulse of 62, and a blood pressure of 121/77. A patient file was lying on top of it.

_She is alive, thank dog. Poor girl, I wonder what happened. She looks so peaceful, sleeping like that,_ Max thought. She stroked Chloe's hand and then looked at the patient's file. 

_Mild traumatic brain injury...suspected cause... whoa! Domestic violence? Did David hurt her?_

Max touched Chloe on the chest, asking, "Can you hear me? Chlo? Talk to me, please!" Her eyes began to water, and she felt a lump in her throat.

Suddenly, Chloe's eyes opened up. "Hey there, Maximus!" She raised her upper body and was now sitting with her legs crossed on the bed.

Max's heart skipped a beat. "Chloe? What happened? Why are we suddenly in a hospital?" she asked, joining Chloe on the bed.

"Because we are not, you're just dreaming! Your mind is tired; you overused your superpower. And by the way, I'm not the real Chloe, I'm just a creature created by your mind to warn you," the creature revealed.

"Wowser, superpower? And can I ask you something? Why am I like I am, and how does this superpower work?" Max asked.  
  
"Are you talking about... wait... what did you call it? Slow-mo perception thingy?" the creature said.

Max nodded, listening to the creature with her eyes wide open.

"All I can say is don't abuse your ability to much, okay? Every time you see things in slow motion, your brain has to process a shitload of information," the creature warned. 

"Okay, I get it, and what about me? Why am I so shy and nervous all the time?" Max asked.  
  
"Because that's just how you are. Try to relax and don't worry about what people think of you. Don't change just because people tell you so. Chloe lo... likes you the way you are, okay? And Max?"

"Yeah?"

"There is someone behind you, wake up!"

Max turned around and quickly realized she was back in Rachel's dorm. 

"Max? Are you all right? You were standing there for like 5 minutes!" Chloe asked. She was right behind Max. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry, just feeling ill. I better get some fresh air," Max said. She rushed out of the dorm, passing Rachel, who took a nap on the couch. _This was so real!_   



	4. DAY 1: Eating food at the Two Whales Diner

A cloud of weed and Chloe followed Max out of Rachel's dorm.

"Is your head hurting again?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, and I can't go in there again. My brain feels like it's gonna explode!" Max complained. She felt a pulsating sensation in the back of her head.

"Alright, I get my weed, and then we check out your dorm." Chloe gave Max a nod before walking back into Rachel's dorm.

Max, as nosy as she is, pressed her ear against the door, listening carefully. First, she heard footsteps, then, Rachel asking, "You're leaving already?"

"Yeah, Max doesn't feel too good," Chloe said.

"I don't feel too good either," Rachel complained. Max heard her standing up. "So, why don't you stay with me?"

"You know exactly why! Because of that video of you, kissing with Frank! Are you seriously thinking I can forgive you?"

Max heard Rachel mumbling, "Yeah, fucking Bitchtoria!" Then, she heard footsteps and a drawer being opened. "Look, tonight is gonna be fun!"

Chloe gasped audibly. "Rachel, what the fuck?"

"I'm just joking; I won't kill anyone, okay! But seriously, Victoria is gonna get punished tonight at the Vortex Party." Rachel began to laugh devilishly. "A punishment that no one will ever forget!"

Max heard footsteps, and when the door handle went down, she instinctively took a step back. It was Chloe, slowly opening the door, saying, "See you later, maybe." 

"Wait, what about the party? You are coming tonight?" Rachel asked.

"I'll hang out with Max for a while... you know...." Chloe muttered, scratching her head. "Showing her the town... and shit..."

"Whoa! Max is here, and Miss Price already thinks about skipping a party? She is not a good influence on you!" Rachel joked.

"Yeah, whatever, I'll text you later." Chloe sighed. "Thank god, I forgot my phone in the truck."

After saying goodbye to Rachel, Max and Chloe walked toward dorm number 219. It was Max's new home for the next years. Inside, it looked bigger than Max expected. A bed was to the right, an empty wardrobe, and a black couch to the left. The two windows behind the desk gave an excellent view of the dormitory yard and the Tobanga totem.

Chloe jumped excitedly on the couch, saying, "Dude, that's so amazing. You can do whatever you want now! No step-ass commanding you around and trying to beat your ass!"

"Yes, I got my own little cocoon now!" Max joined Chloe on the couch. "But I still have to be careful; David is still the security guard here, and he is after me for some reason."

"Plus Rachel the drama queen, Nathan Prick-Scott the drug addict, and the queen bitch of Blackwell A.K.A. Tori," Chloe added, smirking.

_Yeah, it's gonna be an exciting year, _Max thought. Looking around, she realized, _it's actually not that interesting here, at least not without my photo wall. _She then rubbed her stomach because she hasn't had a real meal today. _Mmmh,_ _delicious Bacon and eggs at the Two Whales... and I could meet Joyce there._

"Chloe! I'm hella... I'm hungry! Is your mom working today? " Max suddenly said.

"Did you just say hella? You're learning fast, Supermax!" Chloe joked, nudging Max's arm with her elbow. "And yeah, I'm hungry too, my mom is working at the Two Whales today."

Max chuckled. "Awesome! Let's give her a visit."

Before leaving, Max remembered searching for her ID card in her messenger bag. She took another look inside, but couldn't find it. _Where is it? Did I leave in my parents' car? Well, at least I got my student ID card._

Walking toward the parking lot, Max hoped not to go get too much attention from the other students. However, Chloe was walking around like an elephant. She still had Rachel's small shirt on. It was way too tight, exposing her huge tattoo, which covered almost her whole right arm.

The skater boys were still near the main road, doing tricks and smoking weed. The guy with the red cap noticed the girls.

"Wazzup, girls! Wanna see some tricks?" the red-capped skater yelled across the campus, making the students to stare for a moment.

"Not much, Dustin. We're just trying to get out of this shithole!" Chloe shouted back, causing Max to wince.

"Alrighty, Chloe! If you wanna see some crazy tricks, feel free to join us!" Dustin yelled.

_His name is Dustin, and he looks cute too. Why is everyone so attractive here? _Max thought.

An annoying buzzing noise was coming from the parking lot. It was a small drone, wildly flying around. A girl with red leggings and partly dyed red hair was standing near the entrance. Max suspected that she was controlling it because she had a tablet in her hand.

Ignoring the drone, the girls got into Chloe's truck and sped through Arcadia Bay like maniacs.

"Chloe! It was already red! You gonna get us killed!" Max complained, clinging on the door.

"Yeah, but only for one second, so it's okay," Chloe argued.

Thankfully, Chloe did slow down a little bit. Still, Max had her eyes wide open. She then remembered what Kate said to Nathan. _Someone actually tried to drug Rachel at the Vortex Club. And Kate said that a security guard saved her? I should ask Chloe._

"Is it true that Rachel got drugged at the Vortex Club?" Max asked.

"Yeah, someone spiked her drink," Chloe revealed.

"Who do you think it was?" Max asked.

Chloe chuckled and turned her head toward Max, staring at her.

"Dude, look at the road!" Max commanded. She almost got a heart attack. "We better talk at the Two Whales, okay!"

They drove along the beach, Max noticed all the construction workers, and that many buildings had scaffoldings around them. _Do they all work for the Prescott's'?_When she saw the huge Two Whales Diner sign in the distance, she felt nostalgic. _I wonder if the food is still good since Prescott's bought it._ Her stomach growled loudly, but not as loud as Chloe's truck.

"Bacon and eggs, or a cheeseburger... Belgium waffles... Mmmh." Max moaned as she rubbed her hands together.

"Sounds good, but I hope that my mom won't be annoying," Chloe complained, pulling into the parking lot.

"She always deeply cared about you!" Max assured.

"Yeah, that's why she married a Nazi who has no problem with beating her daughter," Chloe argued, she got out of her truck.

Max shrugged. "I don't know what to say, to be honest." She followed Chloe inside the Diner.

The Diner looked just like Max remembered. It was a 50's style Diner with a long counter and a curved ceiling. It had red table booths and a blinking juice box at the far back.

However, Max didn't remember the diner ever being so packed as it was right now. Almost every table was taken. Luckily, there was one free table to the left in the corner, making Max feel more secure.

They sat down opposite too each other. The smell of bacon made Max's mouth water. She took a look at the menu, saying, "I think I will order bacon and eggs. What about you?"

Staring at the menu, Chloe said, "I go with Belgium waffles then. It would be lame if we both ordered the same stuff."

Max nodded and looked around. There weren't many young people inside. Instead, just a lot of truckers and middle-aged men, wearing yellow vests, dirty clothes, and work boots. _They could be construction workers. Maybe they work for the Prescott's._

A moment later, Joyce appeared from behind the counter. Seeing Max, she began to smile.

"Now look who is back. What a fine young lady you are, Max," Joyce complimented.

Chloe suddenly interrupted, "Yes, mom. Max is super duper awesome, can we order now?"

Joyce sighed." Chloe, I don't know what to do with you." She then looked at Max again. "Good to see you back. I hope that you will be a good influence on her."

"I will try my best, but I can't guarantee you anything," Max joked, poking out her tongue at Chloe.

Joyce nodded and then pulled out a notepad and a pen. "Good, now... what can I bring you?"

"I go with bacon and eggs and orange juice," Max ordered.

Joyce looked at Chloe. "And you? I'm guessing you're here for your free meal a day?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Hey! I would pay if I had any money! And yes, I want Belgium waffles..., and coffee... please!"

"Alright then, I'll be back in a minute," Joyce said before walking inside the kitchen behind the counter.

"So, Maximilian, I guess you wanna know about Rachel's drug incident?"

Max nodded, thinking, _damn, I really love gathering new information. I'm such a nosy girl._

"It happened at one of the Vortex parties. Rachel drank some vodka or something from glass and got dizzy."

"And your step-father saved her?" Max questioned, remembering what Kate said to Nathan.

"Yep, this motherfucker stormed in like some SWAT bastard. And he wasn't alone. I think the whole fucking police department took part in that raid," Chloe said.

"And then?"

"Long story short, they found weed, heroin, meth, and you know, all the crazy stuff on the students. They took Rachel to a hospital, where they found some shit in her blood. Nathan and Victoria were arrested plus Frank a few days later."

"Wowser, that's interesting. A lot of things were happening while I was gone," Max said.

"My relationship with Rachel was at its peak during that time. But fuck, everything went to hell since then. You know, I had respect for David during that time. But he actually got fucking suspended from his job at Blackwell!"

"What? Why the hell?"

"I guess he pissed off the wrong people, like the Prescott's, for example. Nathan, Victoria, and Frank were released from prison too."

They halted their conversation when Joyce came with two plates in her hand.

"I hope you enjoy this. Max, I put in some extra slices of bacon for you!"

"Whoa, mom? Are you trying to bribe her for something?" Chloe joked.

"Thank you," Max said. Her mouth was watering.

"Mmmh, it's so tasty. I love bacon!" Max mumbled out with a piece of bacon stuck out of her mouth.

Chloe agreed. "Yep, no one beats Two Whales Diner food!" She dug into her waffles.

Max was hella hungry, she was eating super fast, like a starved child. However, a bit too fast, a piece of bacon was stuck in her throat. She coughed loudly, taking a sip of her drink.

"Chlo! That's not funny! I could've choked to death!" Max said to the uncontrollable laughing Chloe.

"I'm sorry, ha-ha. I guess you wanna hear the rest of my and Rachel's story?"

Still coughing, Max nodded with a smile on her face.

"Well..." Chloe scratched her head. "David was at home for a while. He busted me and Rachel with drugs all the time and raised hell in my house. I swear, sometimes, I think he can read other people's mind!"

Max nodded, staring to into Chloe's diamond blue eyes. She thought, _He blue eyes really compliment her blue hair, no wait, or is it the other way around?_

"I had enough with all this shit. With you gone, Max..." Chloe leaned forward on the table and rested her head on her palm. "...there was no more reason to stay here. Rachel and I decided to leave Bigfootville for good."

Max eyes widened, she said, "Sorry for leaving you alone," and then placed her hand on Chloe's.

"No problem, Max, and thank you for keeping in touch with me. You helped me a lot."

A smile formed on Max's face, she thought, _Thank dog I had to balls to stay in touch with her._

"But yeah, somehow, David knew about our plans and called the police. Long story short, we got caught, and someone sends me a video of Rachel, making out with Frank."

Max let go of Chloe's hand and continued to eat. "That's sucks."

"Whatever, I don't care anymore. You're here now, and that's all that matters," Chloe said. She still stared at Max with a dreamy grin.

When they finished devouring their food, Joyce appeared again, asking if they are satisfied.

"Thank you, but I'm full. It was delicious as always," Max responded, pulling out her wallet. "How much do we owe you?"

"No way, Max. Your meal is on the house today. Take that as a welcome gift," Joyce said.

"That's awesome, thank you, I hope this applies for Chloe too," Max questioned.

Joyce looked at Chloe with her eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I'll add it to the long list of her debts."

Chloe snorted. "Yeah, debts... you owe me that for bringing that monkey in our house."

"Watch your language, please," Joyce warned. "David told me about what happened today. How often do I have to tell that you are not allowed to bring drugs home?"

"Really, that's all you care about, drugs? What about the fact that he tried to beat me? I'm your fucking daughter! Max had to save me from him!" Chloe hesitated, and then grinned at Max. "That must be embarrassing for him, right? He got beaten by a little girl!"

Joyce's eyes widened, and she turned toward Max. "Is that true? Don't tell me you and David had a fight!"

_Okay, now I'm getting nervous again. What should I tell her?_

"Uh... it's true... David tried to slap Chloe, I had to protect her, but I didn't beat him at all. I just pushed his hand away."

Joyce's face contorted into sadness. She hesitated a moment before saying, "I... I will talk to David... he didn't tell me that he..."

"Know know what? Go to hell!" Chloe yelled to her mom, and then stomped out of the Diner.

The was silence, and all the patrons were staring at Max and Joyce. If Max wasn't scared, she would probably die from embarrassment right now.

"I'm sorry for her behavior. It's just she and David don't get along very well. And I'm sorry for David too; I will have a word with him tonight," Joyce said.

"I understand, and I better get going. I'm worried about Chloe," Max said.

"Alright, I really hope you can talk some sense into her."

"We'll see, but you know how thick-headed Chloe can be," Max said.  
  


Chloe was standing beside her truck with her arms crossed. "Are you done chit-chatting with my mom? I'll drive you back to the hotel, I need some time alone."

Not trying to anger Chloe, Max gave her a half-hearted nod and entered the truck. Chloe pushed the gas pedal far down, causing the tires to screech.

"Chloe, what the fuck?" Max pleaded, hoping not to die in a horrible accident.

Chloe pulled out of the parking lot at high speed, forcing another car that was coming from the left to do an emergency brake.

The driver opened his window, yelling, "Did you won your driving license in a lottery?"

Chloe braked hard in the middle of the street. Max's body flew forward, her palms smashed against the glove box. Her head almost slammed against the windshield. _This thing needs some seatbelts_.

"What did he just say?" Chloe whispered to herself. She opened her window and showed him the finger. "What the fuck is your problem, asshole?"

The other driver, a tall, male in his 50s, got out of his car and walked toward his trunk, opening it.

"Chloe, don't fight him, please. Just calm down, man," Max pleaded. She then winced and held her wrists in pain, whispering, "Ouch."

"Shit, I'm sorry," Chloe said. She stepped on the gas pedal and drove off, passing the pissed off driver, who now had a baseball bat in his hand, raising it in the air. "I'm sorry, Max, really. Are your wrists still hurting?"

"Yeah, but it's not that bad. Just promise me not to be so... uh... explosive anymore, okay?"

"Alright, no wait... like my step-cunt would say, yes, ma'am! For you, I will behave!"

They approached the hotel, passing the car workshop where Max's parents' car is being repaired.

"Look!" Chloe pointed at the workshop. "That's where I worked for a while after I got kicked out of Blackwell."

"For a while?"

"Yeah, but I got fired. I guess my boss didn't like how I was either late or drunk," Chloe said, parking in front of the hotel.

_Oh man, imagine if my parents and I met Chloe at the workshop._

"So, I guess we'll see each other tomorrow?" Max asked.

"Maybe, I'll text you later, and Max?"

"Yes?"

"Good to see you back here, like honestly, I missed you."

Max suddenly lunged toward Chloe, hugging her tightly. "I missed you too!" she whispered. Despite the strong smell of tobacco assaulting her nose, Max felt like in heaven.

"Alright enough groping!" Chloe joked. "I'll text you later."


	5. DAY 1: Max goes hiking

Chloe's truck roared deep and loud as she drove off in the distance. _Goodbye, my love, see you soon, _Max joked internally, waving at her. She then headed inside the hotel, walking upstairs toward her parents' hotel room. When she opened the door, she wondered about what the rest of the day had in store for her.

The hotel room was empty. However, the muffled sound of water spraying on ceramic was coming from inside the bathroom. _Must be my mom, she loves taking long showers. Maybe my dad is showering with her?_

"Mom! I'm back!" Max loudly said, hoping to get a response from her mom. _What if a robber is inside? Wait, why would a robber take a shower?  
  
_When no one responded, Max thought, _hmm, what do I do now? I could browse the internet for a while. I'm just gonna use my mom's laptop.  
__  
_The hotel room had two big white beds near the windows. Max laid down on the right one, near the minibar. She took a quick glance at her phone while windows seven booted up.

_No new messages. _

Max placed her mom's laptop on her lap and typed "Arcadia Bay" in the search engine. The first three results showed the official website of Blackwell Academy and Arcadia Bay and a forum for Blackwell students.

_Official__ Blackwell Academy__ forums, sounds interesting, I should check them out._

At first, the forums were nothing out of the ordinary, people selling things and asking questions about school. However, one post by a user called "AnimeLover" got her eye. 

> AnimeLover: 🥰HOLYYYYYYYY🥰🥰🥰 😍😍😍 😱 😱 😱❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ SHITT DID YOU GUYS SEE HOW SEXY ZACK THREW THE FOOTBALL???? 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
> 
> Guest022: stfu  
TheQueen: You would never have a chance with him, nerd.  
ISitOnFootballs: He is a beast; did you bitches see how far he threw the ball?  
LonelyGuy: Drug user, probably steroids. What a fag.  
ISitOnFootballs: You wouldn't dare saying that to my face, pussy.

_Oh dog, Chloe would get a brain aneurysm from all these emojis, _Max thought, she heard that the shower stopped.

The fourth search result was a local radio station website called "Radio A-Bay." As Max clicked on it, her mom suddenly emerged from the bathroom. She had a towel wrapped around her head and her body.

_"_Hello, Max. I'm glad you're back. I just had a slightly confusing conversation with Mister Madsen," Vanessa said, sitting down next to Max on the bed.

"Really, what did he say?" Max asked, putting the laptop aside.

"I talked with him on the phone. He accused you of bringing drugs into his house. I'm guessing that's not true, right?"

"Mom!" Max cried out before lowering her tone. "You know that I don't take drugs and that I don't deal with them!" 

"Of course, honey. But I still suggest that you stay away from him and Chloe."

Max cracked her neck and rubbed it. "I understand. But I wanna let you know that he is the security guard at Blackwell."

Vanessa placed her hand on Max's right ankle. "Alright, but as you already know, Chloe is a troublemaker. Consider staying low and focusing on your photography carrier." 

Max was now slightly annoyed. She moaned and rolled her eyes. "Mom, please!" she screeched out, hoping that her mom stops treating her like a little baby.

"You have a bright future ahead, don't let people like her drag you down," Vanessa said. She gave Max a kiss on the forehead and then disappeared into the bathroom again.

_Oh man, my mom is way too overprotective. I'm gonna miss her so much. _

Max turned her attention to her mom's laptop again, and read an article on the radio station's website, which looked like it was written by a crazy conspiracy theorist.

> Truth or urban legend?
> 
> According to various anonymous sources, a creature is lurking in the forests of Arcadia Bay. Apparently, this creature is somehow able to manipulate human brains and loves to eat babies. Now you might think it's a fairy tale created by bored townsfolk. However, a picture of the creature was sent to me today by a loyal listener. It was taken at the parking lot of the lighthouse and showed a face, peeking around a tree. The creature's face was totally black and lacked any features like a mouth, nose, or ears. Some smart people on the internet analyzed the picture and figured it might be around 8 to 9 feet tall.
> 
> Unfortunately, the picture somehow got corrupted on my computer, and I am not able to contact my source at the moment.

_I love this shit! I could read these wild conspiracy theories all day. _

Max grabbed a cold bottle of apple juice from the minibars fridge and navigated to the fifth search result, a local news website. She took a sip from her drink, which tasted sweet and flavorful.

> All charges dropped against suspect in drink spiking case.
> 
> An 18-year-old male from Arcadia Bay was facing charges of bodily harm, attempted kidnapping, and attempted rape. According to the police report, the suspect was accused of spiking the drink of a female student at one of the notorious Vortex Club parties. The charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.
> 
> The victim, a 19-year-old female student, was treated at Arcadia Bay's hospital and released the next day.

_Rachel and Nathan, huh. Well, if they really lack evidence, then I guess it's innocent until proven otherwise. But knowing the Prescott's, they probably bribed someone._

Max took another sip of her apple juice, thinking, _mhmm, so tasty; I bet this bottle costs a fortune though. _She put the laptop aside and snuggled into the blanket. She felt warm and cozy and closed her eyes. Her mind wandered around before slowly dozing off.

Various images formed in Max's mind. Rainbow colored lines, dots, and other geometrical shapes. Then, there was the sound of a phone ringing loudly, which woke her up.

"Mom, your phone is ringing!" Max yelled. Still Wrapped in her blanket, she felt way too comfortable to get up.

To Max's surprise, her mom was sitting on the other bed to the left. Her mom picked up her Smartphone and accepted the call. It was the owner of the mechanic shop, and it turned out, the new windshield arrived, and their car will be ready tomorrow.

_We're getting progress. I'm on my own from tomorrow on. At least I have Chloe by my side._ Max thought. She stood up and said, "Mom, I'm going to take a walk the lighthouse, maybe I'll find Bigfoot there."

A cheerful smiled formed on her mom's face. "I can't believe you're grown up so fast." She suddenly stood up and hugged Max tightly. "My little pumpkin is an adult now!"

"Mhmm, okay, mom! I love you too!" Max began to giggle and took a deep breath. _My mom smells so good, like berries! I need to ask her what perfume she's using!_

"You will always be my little girl, and I will always be there for you, never forget that!" Vanessa assured.

To Max's displeasure, Vanessa released her from her strong hug. _That was so cute, _Max thought, she grabbed her essentials, her half-broken camera, her Smartphone, and her messenger bag, and then left the hotel.

Max jogged across the streets, taking a peek inside the car workshop. Her parents' SUV was in one of the garages, with the windshield removed.

_I wonder what it would feel like driving without a windshield._

The hotel was located in the northwest of Arcadia Bay, two miles away from the cliff where the lighthouse is located. It would be a thirty-minute walk, which made Max question, _Should I call Chloe? Hmm, better not, she said that she needs some time alone._

Max strolled along the road with her damaged camera dangling around her neck. The smell of the sea was in the air and the sky was clear. She spotted dozens of pigeons eating old bread near a fish restaurant called "The Tuna Lobby."

She tiptoed toward the pigeons like a cat stalking a mouse. When she was close enough, she slowly and smoothly lifted her damaged camera of her neck, thinking, _I'm gonna have to watch out for the lighting. I just take it as a challenge!_ _A true photographer like me doesn't need any flash!_

Max suddenly snorted at her own thoughts, scaring away the pigeons. Still, she managed snap a photo of them mid-air. However, the camera's ejection slot was broken, which means that she had to manually remove the picture every time she snaps a photo. It took her three minutes to wiggle the photo out.

_This is annoying; maybe I can borrow some fine tools from the mechanics at the workshop?_

Almost all the pigeons looked blurry on the photo. Still, the one with a big chunk of bread in its mouth flying away, made photo worthy of her photo-wall.

The whole town looked dreary, and the smell of hot asphalt was now in the air. An orange sign saying "ROAD WORK AHEAD" was standing on the street in the distance. Behind it, a dozen construction workers, a concrete mixer, and various heavy equipment. _Maybe this town really needs someone rich, like the Prescott's. _

One of the workers was demolishing the asphalt with a deafening loud jackhammer. Max noticed that he was wearing no ear protecting. _Wowser, I'm so far away, and it's already unbearable. His poor ears must be crying for help inside._

Max passed the construction workers with her hands covering her ears, and her face scrunched up. The lighthouse was now visible on the cliff in the distance. She noticed that every time she looked away from it, she found it hard to remember where it was located and how it looked like.

_What the hell is going on? It's like something is trying to convince me that the lighthouse doesn't exist._

Her knee hurt, but Max finally arrived at the parking lot of the lighthouse after around 30 minutes. To her confusion, it was absolutely empty there. No parked cars and not a single person was there. It was pretty quiet too, just the wind, a few birds tweeting, and the muffled sounds of cars coming from the town.

_Where is everyone? It's sunny and warm, normally, there would have been at least a few hikers out there!_

The scene began to change when Max entered the hiking path, which leads to the lighthouse. The sky darkened with clouds, and the muddy ground sank beneath her sneakers as Max waddled up the path. The trees and bushes became less and less visible, thanks to the sudden fog, which clouded the air.

Max took a break and sat down on a big boulder, which was on the side of the path.

_This is so weird, the fog looks... static? I better take a selfie to calm my nerves, _Max thought. She closed one eye, made a grimace, and then took a selfie. Not wanting to fumble around, she let the photo stuck inside her camera.

The fog in the air increased in density, and the sounds of birds stopped when Max got closer to the cliff. _I can barely see the ground; this is so cool and creepy. _

Max paused a second to look around. _Why is my heart pounding so hard? I feel like I'm in a silent hill movie. _She pulled out her phone and noticed that she had no signal here. _This would be the perfect place for a horror movie. Shit, I have to pee, really badly. Thank god, I am alone here._

Max followed the path around the corner to the lighthouse, where she almost tripped over a huge wooden trunk, which was lying across the path.

_I need to be careful when I walk back down, this thing is barely visible in the fog._

The fog cleared when Max arrived at the cliff. She instantly recognized the small shed with the railings on the roof. The tall, red-white lighthouse was standing beside it.

_It's so big and intimidating, I should come here with Chloe one day and climb on top of it with her._

A few raindrops hit Max's face, and being in an elevated position, the wind picked up, blowing her mousy, shoulder-length hair around. She decided to sit down on the bench at the edge of the cliff and noticed that the sea became rougher, five feet high waves were now impacting on the empty beach.

_The beach is completely empty. It's crazy how fast the weather changed. The town looks so empty too, where is everyone?_

The drizzle turned into rain and Max saw a single lightning strike, hitting the ocean in the far distance. She then picked up the sound of papers flapping on the ground. It was a wet newspaper, and it landed right in front of her. She picked it up and tried to read it.

_Most of the pages are wet and unreadable, _Max noticed. However, looking closely, she found one readable article on the sports section.

> 4th September 2013. 
> 
> Rising Bigfoot-star suffers an injury during Bigfoot's vs. The Hot Goats game.
> 
> According to the team's physician, Zach Riggins, the quarterback of the Bigfoot's, tore his ACL and suffered a concussion when he collided with a player of the opposing team. Duo to the severity of his injuries, he will very likely not be able to complete the session.
> 
> His sudden increase in performance over the last few weeks stunned his colleagues and critics and raised questions about drugs in sports. More on that on page four.

_Hmm, poor guy. A torn ACL sounds link a career-ending injury. And it says 4th of September... that would be... next Wednesday. That must be a printing error._

Max took a quick look at the beach and noticed that the sea began to retreat from the beach, exposing a few seashells. She then flipped through the pages again and found another readable article on the crime section.

> Local drug dealer recaptured after escape from Arcadia Bay police department.
> 
> Frank. B., Arcadia Bay's local drug dealer, was recaptured by the police thanks to tips from the watchful local population. He was one of the people who were arrested at last Friday's Vortex party. He is considered not to be violent and has a long history of drug-related crimes. According to the police, he is allowed to keep a dog, which he adopted, in his cell.

_That must be Chloe's drug dealer. He likes dogs, huh. Hmm, last Friday... I hope that Chloe will cut down on the weed now that he is arrested. _

The cold wind increased in intensity, blowing hard into Max's ears. She rubbed her hands and hugged herself tightly before closing her eyes. A few moments later, her eyes shot open, and she flinched, because she heard a loud, rhythmic, high-pitched cry, resembling a human baby, coming from behind.

Max turned around and saw a small, cute doe. The doe had white spots on his chestnut-colored fur. It was standing in front of the door of the lighthouse, sniffing the door handle.

_Wowser that's a cute doe, but what is it doing near the door?_

The doe's eyes were fixed on Max, who noticed that the doe looked slightly static. Snow appeared to float around it. _This reminds me of the static of a TV, what the hell is going on?_

Max took a photo of it, and after opening her camera to jiggle it out, she realized, _my selfie pic is still inside, shit._

While trying to wiggle the pictures out, Max took a quick look at the city again. She noticed that the sea was gone now from the beach, exposing crabs, muscles, starfishes, and more seashells. There was even a dead whale. She turned her head toward the lighthouse again, wanting to take look at the doe, but it was gone. She felt chills down her spine, thinking, _I wonder why water is disappearing, and where did the doe go? _

Black and White spots formed on Max's vision, creating a TV-like static effect. Another lightning strike hit the ocean, this time, very close to Max. Confused and shaking, she stared at the ocean, and noticed something blue on the horizon, getting bigger by the second. _My vision is too blurry, what is that? Maybe this is connected to my slow-mo thing, I don't know. I don't like this, wanna go back to the hotel!_

As she carefully tried to walk down the path, the green vegetation around her turned black and white. Everything slowed down, and Max felt like moving through chocolate pudding.

_It's my superpower! I see things in slow-motion!_

Unfortunately, her surroundings also turned blurry, causing her to stumble on a tree trunk when she walked around the corner. She landed on all fours, like a cat. Wet mud splashed on her face and clothes, and her student ID fell out of her pocket. She accidentally stepped it before picking it up again.

Max almost reached the parking lot, but she stubbed her toe on the boulder where she took her selfie. _This is the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life, god damned! W_hen she arrived at the parking lot, her vision turned normal. However, she felt dizzy, and the world around her began to spin. _Wowser, I feel like I'm in a carrousel, this is trippy as hell._

"Ding dong," a female voice said. It was coming out of Max's phone.

_A message from Chloe, and what's with the ding-dong?_

Chloe: What's up, Supermax(ine)?  
Max: Chloe?  
Chloe: Yeah?  
Max: Uh, hi.  
Chloe: Hi.

_This is awkward, what should I say?  
_

Max: not much... what about u?  
Chloe: same, I'm just taking a nap at the parking lot.  
Max. Parking lot? Where?  
Chloe: Lighthouse, I passed out.  
Max: really?  
Chloe: Turn around.

_No way, are you are shitting_—

When Max turned around, she was facing the clear sky of Arcadia Bay. She also felt the hard asphalt on her back and head, and a warm liquid on her thighs.

_No way, no no no! I passed out... and don't tell me I peed myself!_


	6. DAY 1: Joyce

Max stood up, supporting herself with one hand on the ground. Her head felt dizzy, and a sharp pain formed behind her left eye. Her grey sweater had mud and dirt all over it, and her blue jeans were wet around her thighs. _It doesn't smell like urine, what is this? I must have fallen into a puddle or something. _

The sky was clear, and the sun was shining. The parking lot was still empty, with white, slightly static-looking fog surrounding it.

_Ouchie! So the hiking part was not a dream. And what's with the sudden weather change and the fog? Whatever it is, I better leave, this is way too creepy. _

Max wasn't thrilled at the thought of walking all dirty through the town, so she decided to ask Chloe to pick her up. _She's my best friend and would never laugh at me. _

Max: How are you feeling, Chloe?  
Chloe: Terrible! The piece of shit told me not to go to the party tonight!  
Max: same, not so good. I had a little adventure at the lighthouse, and now my head hurts.  
Max: Would you mind picking me up there? I'm feeling like shit. :(  
Chloe: Of course, man! But u gotta wait, my mom is being annoying rn.  
Max: Alrighty. 😍  
Chloe: -_- 

Max decided to walk along the only road, which leads to Arcadia Bay. She managed to fiddle out her selfie picture, which was stuck inside her broken camera. 

_Oh my god, I look like a zombie. _Max chuckled, looking at her selfie. _At least my pale face compliments with the fog in the background. _

The fog around cleared as she got closer to the town. She now had an overview of it and the beach. The sea was now calm and partly covering the beach again. The city had vehicles driving on the streets and people walking around.

Max could hear a truck roaring in the distance, getting closer by the second. It was Chloe's, and she was speeding again. She did a hard brake in front of Max, causing her tires to lock up.

"Chloe, I'm no mechanic, but this can't be good for your tires," Max warned.

"I don't give a fuck! Get inside," Chloe ordered, she was gritting her teeth.

_Whoa, someone is pissed off again. _

"Thank's for picking me up, I slipped on the damn hiking path," Max complained as she entered Chloe's truck.

"Yeah, whatever, Maxi, you can call me any—" Chloe suddenly smiled when she Max's dirty outfit. "You're all wet and dirty, must've been a helluva adventure!" she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

"And I even had another weird dream of sorts. You are almost always appearing in them," Max said.

"That's cool. You should try to do some dirty stuff with me." Chloe said. She suddenly began to stutter. "Uh, I mean... like manipulating stuff with me... in your dreams or whatever the fuck it is."

Listening to Chloe, Max suddenly had an idea. _I need to know when I'm dreaming. _Using her phone, she searched "How to tell if you are dreaming" on the internet. The search yielded a lot of potential methods. Max, overwhelmed by all the results, moaned. She went through all the results and then found a website with a list of so-called "reality checks."

Trying to read, counting your fingers, breathing with your mouth and nose closed, and trying to fly, where one of the methods listed. 

_I need something simple and discrete. I go with counting fingers and the breathe technique. _

Max counted five fingers on her right hand and wasn't able to breathe through her mouth closed, and her nose held shut. _Perfect, __I'm awake right now. _

"Chloe, I have five fingers, which means you are real," Max said, she stretched her right palm toward Chloe.

Chloe responded with a friendly laugh, then said, "No one has ever said that sentence before."

The two girls sped through Arcadia Bay, passing the construction zone from earlier. One worker had no shirt on, exposing his tanned upper body. Chloe pointed at him, asking Max, "This guy is sexy as fuck, don't you agree?"

"Uh, a little bit, I guess," the now red-faced Max trembled out. 

_ If Chloe finds both girls and boys attractive, does this mean she is bi-sexual? _

They arrived around five minutes later at the hotel. A blue 1966 Chevrolet Impala with a hood scoop and white stripes was parked in front of it.

_ Wowser, that's a cool looking muscle car. I wonder who's the owner of it. _

Chloe suddenly hit the gas pedal, saying, "Shit, it's David's car! What the fuck is he doing here?"

"I bet he talked to my mom again!" Max said. 

Chloe parked her truck on the side of the road, around 100 yards away from the hotel. Her eyes were fixed on the hotel entrance while Max carefully observed her surroundings. 

"I really don't get it, what the frick is his problem?" Max asked.

Chloe chuckled. "He probably killed too many people in Iraq or wherever he was. Hopefully, he won't go crazy one day and shoot us all."

"Don't joke like that," Max said, frowning slightly at Chloe.

A few minutes later, David walked out of the hotel. He looked left and right and then marched toward his vehicle. His key was already in the car door when he suddenly jumped as if he got spooked by something.

"What is he doing?" Chloe whispered to Max.

David suddenly turned in a circle, carefully scanning his surroundings. His movements were robotic, like an antenna spinning around. Max winced in shock when he stopped moving and stared in her direction.

"Chloe? Chloe! He is staring at us!" Max stuttered out. Her hands were shaking.

"Argh! No way in hell! How the fuck did he notice us?" Chloe asked, punching her steering wheel in frustration. 

"He probally heard your truck. Let's try to stay calm, we didn't do anything wrong," Max suggested.

"You're right! Let's get out of my truck. This bastard can't do shit to us!" Chloe said. She had her chest puffed out as she walked with Max toward the hotel entrance.

David crossed his arms, leaning against his vehicle, his gaze followed the girls.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Chloe suddenly screamed, she stopped moving and stared at David. 

"Watch your mouth, missy," David responded, not moving one inch.

Max gently grabbed Chloe by the wrist and dragged her inside the hotel lobby.

Chloe started to complain as she walked upstairs to the second floor with Max. "I hate David. I hate this whole town. I hate fucking Blackwell. And I hate my mom for bringing that asshole in our house. Fuck!" 

"Have you considered moving out?" Max asked.

"Good idea. I could live at the junkyard for a while," Chloe said.

Max gave her a stern look. "You can't be serious."

Chloe froze, putting her right hand on her hip. "What? I can easily handle my own on the streets!" 

"Yeah, yeah... I know," Max said in a tight voice. _Still playing the tough girl, huh. _

Up in the second floor of the hotel, Chloe cursed again. "I hate Rachel for fucking with Frank. And fuck Frank too. I owe him a shit-ton of money."

"My parents' might be inside, so you better behave," Max stated as she opened the hotel door.

Vanessa was lying on the left bed, reading a newspaper. She glanced over at the now grinning Max. "Hey honey, oh...," she said, raising her brows at the sight of the blue-haired punk.

Max, still grinning, pointed her thumb at Chloe. "Hey, mom. Look who I brought with me."

Chloe stood stiff. "Hello, miss Caulfield, uh, I'm glad to see you." 

Max always thought it was funny how Chloe's attitude changed when she was around her parents.

"You too, Chloe," Vanessa said. She got out of bed. "Your step-father was here a few minutes ago. He invited us for lunch tomorrow."

Chloe and Max sighed simultaneously in relief, and their eyes met for a moment.

_ Thank dog, he didn't accuse of anything anymore. _

Vanessa suddenly stared at Max with one eyebrow raised. "What happened to your clothes?"

"I slipped, nothing serious. Can I borrow some fresh clothes from you?" Max asked.

"Of course." Vanessa beamed a smile at Max. "You better take a shower though, we don't wanna anger the hotel staff."

_ Good idea.  
_

Max grabbed her mom's suitcase from the bed walked inside the bathroom. "Mom! Chloe! See you later!" 

The warm water of the shower washed the dirt off Max's body. Her mind relaxed, and the pain behind her left eye faded into the background. At first, she thought about her slow-mo superpower.

_ The slow-mo thing helped me save my mom and Chloe. I should try to find a way to control this power. _

Max turned the shower temperature knob up and closed her eyes.

_ Rachel and Chloe broke up. I wonder if Rachel will get jealous if I hang around with Chloe. I don't want her as an enemy.  
_

Max grabbed her mom's shampoo bottle from the ground, squeezing gel into her hands. She gently massaged her scalp with the shampoo gel.

_ And these dreams, it's always Chloe. And she is right, I really need to try to mess when her in these dreams. _

Max counted her fingers on her left hand and then turned off the shower. 

_ I counted five fingers, I'm not dreaming right now. Time to get dressed. _

Max rummaged through her mom's suitcase, trying to find clothes that match her shy, almost childish-like style. She found some brown pants and a white blouse. Her mom stood only slightly taller than her, so her clothes fit near perfectly Max's petite body.

She left the bathroom, asking, "How do I look?" She jokingly placed her hands on her hips and turned around like a model.

_ I feel so comfortable around Chloe and my parents, I could never do this in front of strangers. _

"You look hella fine, almost like an adult now," Chloe said, smirking.

Vanessa gave Max an approving nod. She had her phone in her hand. "I talked with dad, he is at the workshop. I told him to bring some of your clothes."

Ryan arrived half an hour later. He had two big pizza's in a box and a bag with Max's clothes with him. 

"Anyone hungry?" Ryan asked, placing the pizzas on the kitchen counter. He then looked at Max, reaching out his hands. "Come here, you!" 

Ryan hugged Max and gave Chloe an awkward handshake. Then the four sat on the bed and ate their pizza. Chloe's mood improved drastically, her blue eyes were sparkling as a piece of cheese hung down her chin.

"I hope you girls keep out of out of trouble when we are gone," Ryan asked, taking a bit of his pineapple pizza slice.

"I'll try, but I can't promise you anything," Chloe joked, wiping the cheese from her chin.

Max took a look at her broken camera, which was hanging around her neck. Her mom gave it to her when she was a child. "Mom, I ruined your camera."

"Don't worry, they aren't that expensive. I can order you a new one if you want. Or you might consider switching to digital," Vanessa said.

Chloe interrupted. "You don't have, uh, I can give her my dad's old camera. It's an instant camera too!"

"Really? That would be awesome!" Max said. She ate too many pizza slices, causing her to feel stuffed and ill. She looked at her parents and Chloe and said, "I'm gonna take a nap, Chloe, uhh, you can stay here if you want or... join me."

Chloe chuckled, "Uh If you really want... but I have too..." 

Max heard Chloe mumbling something out, but she didn't care. The mattress and blanket felt just too soft and comfortable. A sense of warmth overcame her as she drifted into a dreamless sleep.


	7. DAY 1: The Vortex Club (part 1/3)

Max woke up in the evening, feeling warm and relaxed. Her mind felt sharp and crystal clear. However, the smile on her face faded away when she didn't see Chloe's blue hair beside her.

The hotel room looked dusky, with a faint light coming from the other bed. It was Vanessa, using her laptop on her lap. Ryan was sleeping beside her, faintly snoring.

Max grabbed her phone from the nightstand beside her and saw that she got two new messages. 

_ A message from Rachel... whoa! _

Rachel: Fucking cunt, someone needs to break her fingers.  
Rachel: I don't give a shit. Do it again, and I'll beat your skank ass to oblivion.  
Rachel: I need to get a cocktail.  
Rachel: So Chloe didn't even come, I really fucked up this time.

_ Why would Rachel send me such a hostile and confusing message? Is she drunk at the Vortex Club? I need to show this to Chloe. _

Max let out a faint groan as she got out of her warm bed. A long line of drool hung from her mouth. She wiped it off and then read Chloe's message.

Chloe: ,ax  
Chloe: Maxx  
Chloe: Rachel is fucked up,   
Chloe: borrow a nice outfit from your mom and get your ass outside  
Chloe: You're gonna have your first party tonight!  
Chloe: 5 min.  
Max: what? I don't know.   
Chloe: c'mon! I'm already omw. You can't chicken out now!  
Max: Are u cereal? Okay! Damn you, girl!  
Chloe: no one can resist my charm!  
Max: btw what's up with Rachel? I got a freaky message from her.  
Chloe: I got one too! She's probably high af!

_I just agreed with Chloe to go to a damn Vortex Club party. This can't end well_!

Max realized that she slept with her mom's clothes on, so she walked inside the bathroom to change. She decided to wear a white shirt with a doe on it, a pair of generic jeans, and her mom's pink sweater.

Vanessa turned the nightlamp on when she heard Max walking out of the bathroom.

"Mom, I'm going out with Chlo," Max said. She spoke in a soft and quiet voice, not trying to wake Ryan up.

Vanessa suddenly reached for her purse from the ground. "Oh, I'm assuming you are going to this Vortex Club event?" 

"Um, yeah, It was Chloe's idea. I guess It can't hurt to socialize a bit."

Vanessa nodded, taking a small yellow case out of her purse. "Well, as I always say, stay away from drugs and alcohol."

Max nodded with her lips pressed together. "Of course, mom."

"Take these earplugs, I know how loud the music can be in these clubs," Vanessa said, offering Max the yellow case.

"Mom! I'm not a child anymore!" Max said, her voice was squeaky like a child. She sat down on the bed beside Vanessa.

"I understand, but do you really want to ruin your hearing at this young age?" Vanessa put her laptop aside and sat beside Max. "Do you know what a tinnitus is? Do you want to hear an annoying ringing sound for the rest of your life?"

Max shoulders sank as she grabbed the earplug case from her mom, whispering, "Yeah yeah, you're right, mom," She enjoyed an affectionate hug from her mom and then left the hotel with her messenger bag.

It was dark and desolate outside. The sound of an old, rusty engine combined with the smell of weed was in the air. It was Chloe, lying with her back on the hood of her truck. She puffed on her joint and gazed at the stars of the night sky. A cloud of moths circled the yellow-glowing street light beside her.

Chloe jumped off the hood when she heard Max's footsteps. "Hey, Maxter, I got a little gift for you." She went inside the passenger seat with the joint in her mouth and grabbed her dad's old instant-camera from the glove box.

Max took a deep breath and then grabbed the camera from Chloe's hands.

"What'chu think?" Chloe asked with a wide grin and sparkling eyes.

Max carefully analyzed every part of Chloe's dad's instant camera. "I don't know If I can accept this, It's your dad's camera after all."

"Are you shitting me? It was lying all day in my closet collecting dust." Chloe paused a moment, taking another puff. "My dad would be proud if he saw his camera in your hands!"

Max winced at the mentioning of Chloe's dad, who died in a car accident. _Ouch, right in the feels. _

"I guess you're right, Chloe, come here!" 

Chloe accidentally dropped her joint when Max suddenly gave her a quick but passionate hug. 

"You like that, huh?" Chloe joked, she had her eyes closed.

"Yes, I love hugging you," Max said. She then let go of Chloe and pointed at the joint on the ground. "You dropped this."

"Yeah, fuck," Chloe said as she picked up the joint. "Let's head to Blackwell."

As they drove toward Blackwell, an increasingly loud crunking sound was coming out of Chloe's truck. She accidentally stalled the engine at a traffic light, and it took her three tries to get it running again.

Chloe tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. "I think it's the spark plugs, fuck."

"Are these expensive to change?" Max asked.

"This truck is like thousand years old. I don't even know where I could buy them."

"Maybe on the internet? You can find basically everything there," Max suggested. She then noticed a pair of headlights from behind, lighting up the whole dashboard.

"We'll see." Chloe took a look in the driver's mirror. "Look at this bastard, blinding us."

Max could feel her heartbeat rising slightly, thinking, _calm down Chloe, goddamned.__  
_

Chloe pushed 60 miles an hour as she approached an intersection. She then braked hard right in front of it. Her wheels locked up, and she drifted to the right on the intersection.

"Holy crap, Chloe! Chill! You don't even know if he was following us!" Max complained. 

"Relax, I am the best driver in the world!" 

Max's body untensed when she saw Blackwell in the distance. They pulled into the parking lot and saw two fishy looking black SUVs. _This reminds me of the FBI or something. _

Max began to bite her lips. "Chloe, I don't know if this was a good idea to come here."

Chloe nervously scratched her nose. "Calm down, Max. It's not that bad here. Just... stick to me, and you'll be fine."

Max moaned and tilted her head. "Okay..., just, no drugs, okay?"

"Yeah sure," Chloe said as she lighted a joint. "It's just a plant, it doesn't count!"

Max let out a heavy sigh and then chugged with Chloe along the footpath, which led to the swimming pool building, where the Vortex Party was located. 

The campus was sparsely populated. There was only one small group of students. Max heard laughter coming from them and saw them drinking alcohol.

_ I guess everyone is already inside. _

The girls were greeted by a well-dressed boy at the entrance. He had a relaxed posture and beamed a friendly smile at Max. He offered her a flyer, and Max didn't want to make him feel sad, so she accepted it.

> ⭐⭐⭐GRAND OPENING⭐⭐⭐
> 
> Feeling lucky? Tired of your student debt? Try your luck at one  
of our slot machines at the 🃏Victory Royale #1🃏. We also offer food and drinks. 
> 
> September 2nd, Doors open at 10PM, !!!NO ENTRY FEE!!!  
12 Mill street - Arcadia Bay - No entry under 18 years.

_ An advertisement for gambling? Right in front of the school? This must be a prank or something. _

Max threw the flyer in her bag and then walked inside with Chloe. She coughed when the smell of chlorinated water and weed hit her. 

The whole location looked astonishing. A large, white glowing swimming pool was in the middle. It was surrounded by LED lights, which illuminated the walls with various tornado-like shapes. The disco lights on the ceiling spun around, creating a pinkish flickering ambiance.

_ This is insane, I hope I don't get a seizure or something. _

A makeshift DJ desk was set up beside the springboard at the far back. The speaker beside it blared out a song called "Get Well Soon" by Breton at way too loud volume. A few people were dancing around and inside the pool.

_ It's so loud here, my ears are already hurting. I guess my mom was right? Why are my parents always right?_

The tables to the left were occupied by boys, who played what looked like a poker game.

_ There are real dollar bills on the table, are they gambling? What the hell is going on here? _

The currently empty bar right to the left was occupied by a barely 18-year-old looking bartender. 

_ I'm kinda thirsty, I hope they serve water or orange juice here. _

Chloe interrupted Max's thoughts. "Rachel is probably in the VIP section, follow me!"

Max followed sheepishly from behind, her eyes fixed on Chloe's back. She was intimidated by the loud music and all the people around her.

The VIP section was at the far back to the left. A blonde long-haired girl was sitting with her legs crossed on a chair beside it. A table with a paper lying on it was in front of her. Max noticed that there was a list of people written on it.

_Must be a guest list. I wonder they allow Chloe and me inside. _

Beside her stood a boy with a flower tattoo on his left arm. He had his arms crossed and guarded the VIP entrance. 

Chloe tried to ignore them and walk right into the VIP section. However, the boy stepped in front of her, gesturing stop with his hand. The blonde girl suddenly raised her voice. 

"Stop right there, where do you think you are going?" The blonde girl asked as she grabbed the paper from the table.

"You got a problem?" Chloe asked, approaching the girl. "Do you even know who I am?"

"Of course, I know who you are. And I also know what you did last time! Do you really think I will let your punk ass in?" the blonde girl said.

"How about this, you will let me inside, or I'm gonna call Rachel," Chloe said with an evil grin.

The girl gritted her teeth and threw the paper on the table. "Whatever, you can go inside." She then pointed at Max. "But no way in hell, I'm letting this little girl inside."

When Max saw Chloe balling her hands into a fist, she petted Chloe's back, "Calm down, It's okay. I'll wait at the bar."

"Okay, I'll be back in a minute, just checking if Rachel is alright," Chloe said as she walked inside the VIP section.

Max stood there for a moment, thinking, _well, this is awkward. What I'm I supposed to do here? I guess I'll walk around for while bit. _As Max walked beside the pool, the music changed and got even louder.

_ This is unbreable! Thank god, my mom gave me her earplugs. I love you, mom. _

Max grabbed her mom's earplugs from her bag, rolled them into balls, and pushed them inside her ears. The foam inside her ear canal expanded and turned the blaring music into a loud but acceptable rumble. She passed the bar and then saw three girls in her peripheral vision, entering the location. The tallest of the three had a blonde pixie cut. To her left and right, her minions, following her closely. Max froze and turned her body toward the swimming pool. 

_ Relax, Max, Just be invisible, like you always are. _

Victoria and her minions passed closely behind Max without noticing her. 

Max moaned as she rubbed her cheeks. _That was close, crisis averted. _She then took a peek at Victoria, who walked past the poker tables with her two slaves. 

_ It's like two rabid chihuahuas following its owner. Too funny, _Max thought. She quickly grabbed her camera, turned off the flash, and snapped a photo of them.

_ Wowser, not bad, way too much dark and pink, but... whatever, I'm thirsty, time to head to the bar. _

Max sat down on the bar and took another look back at the VIP entrance, where she saw Victoria and her two minions walking inside it.

The bartender came and asked, "Oh, hey there. What can I get you?" He then quickly raised his eyebrows, eyeballing Max. "Uh, wait. Can I... may I see your ID?"

"No problem. I got my student ID here, wait," Max said. She took her student ID card out of her messenger bag. "Here."

The bartender stared at Max's dirty ID card with one eyebrow raised and then gave it back to Max. "Alright. It's just everyone is nervous about the incident with Rachel. And you look young, uh, take that as a compliment."

Max's cheeks turned red. "Ha-ha, yeah, I guess so. Can I have some water?"

The bartender nodded and brought her a glass of tap-water. Max took a sip and suddenly felt two arms gently encircling her neck.

"Holy crap!" Max yelled. Looking up, she saw Chloe's wide grin.

"Hey, Maximus. Why is your face so red? You must've been drinking some good shit, let me try!" Chloe suddenly took a sip out of Max's drink.

"The fuck? Are you drinking water? I didn't bring you here so I can watch you drinking fucking water!" Chloe complained. 

Chloe suddenly yelled, "Hey, you!" at the bartender, who was crouched down behind the bar, searching for something. "We wanna order!"

The bartender frowned and stared at Chloe. "Yeah? And what do you want?"

"Just give me a double whopper whammy... no wait, give me something that makes the pain go away," Chloe ordered.

"Sure." The bartender chuckled and then stared at Max. "What about you?"

_ Okay, what contains the least alcohol... _"Uhmm, do you have... lemon juice?" Max asked.

The bartender nodded, and Max stared hypnotized at him as he mixed and shook their drinks together. She felt tingles down her spine, and her brain felt like it's gonna melt.

_ Woah, this is amazing. _

Chloe broke Max out of her trance, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Max? What the hell is in your ears?"

"Earplugs. I can still hear you, though," Max said. She cleared her throat. "So, how is Rachel, and what's with her weird message?"

"To be honest, it's hella mysterious. She somehow managed to send a message like this to every single person in Arcadia Bay."

_ How would that even work? No way that's possible, _Max thought, she bit her lip.

"My guess, Rachel is drunk, pumped up with drugs, and her phone glitched out."

Max sighed. "Hmm, if you say so."

The bartender brought their drinks, and Max said thanks to him. Chloe took a slurp from her cocktail and ahhed in delight. "Much better!"

Max took a sip of her lemon cocktail. For a moment, her cocktail tasted great, like lemon. But then her mouth started to burn like hell, forcing her to spit everything out at bar counter. Clumsy as she is, she spilled her drink all over her clothes.

Max complained as she wiped her mouth with her back of her hand. "What the shit is this? It's like drinking chili! Disgusting!" 

Chloe giggled childishly. "Oh my god, that's funny! Poor Maxine!" She then drank her drink in one go. "Ahh, perfect. Now let's dance!"

"Chloe, no! You're too drunk. Let's go home!" Max pleaded, thinking, _please God, no! Don't force me to dance with her! _

Chloe stood up, grabbed Max by the wrist, and pulled her near the boys at the poker tables.

The music changed again, now playing a loud rock song. Chloe started to dance wildly, slamming her arms up and down. She shook her head violently as if she was in a moshpit.

_ Okay, Max, Relax, you can do this, just try to move along the music._

Max had a nervous grin on her face as she timidly moved her feet to the rhythm of the bass. She kept her silence and then seemed to be getting a bit more confident. She grabbed Chloe's left hand, lifted her arm up, and then jokingly turned in a circle. Her movements were shy and gently, and hella cute.

"Woah! Someone... got the... mooves!" Chloe yelled. Her speech was slurred, and her face red as a tomato.

"I got taught by the best!" Max yelled at Chloe. 

"See! It's not that bad, Maxine. You just have to get out of your shell sometimes," Chloe stated.

"You could be right, you could be wrong. But these parties are just not my thing," Max revealed.

"Are you telling me that you are not enjoying this right now?" Chloe asked.

"Only because you are here," Max said. Her face dropped into sadness, and she noticed that's Chloe slowed down her dancing.

"Ha-ha, I always knew that you really like me!" Chloe said. She jokingly elbowed Max.

"You are my best friend, Chloe," Max said. To her confusion, Chloe rolled her eyes.

Max took a glimpse at the poker tables, noticing that one of the boys was staring at her. The boy was sitting with his legs apart, nodding to the music. 

"Chloe? Uh, why is he staring at us?" Max asked. The confidence that she had built up deflated in a nanosecond. "I don't like this, I wanna go home!"

Max felt the sweat building on her forehead and that her whole body felt hot. She let go of Chloe's hand and then rushed back to the bar.

Chloe approached Max and rubbed her shoulder. "Alright, Maxter. I'll drive you back home. But I'm gonna check on Rachel again before we go."

"Okay, thanks." Max nodded weakly, thinking, _well, at least I didn't make a fool out of myself. _


	8. DAY 1: The Vortex Club (part 2/3)

Max sat at the bar, waiting for Chloe, who walked inside the VIP area to check on Rachel. She kept her arms close to her chest. "Don't panic, try to breath slowly and steady. No one noticed your mini-panic attack," she whispered to herself. 

The bartender noticed Max's sorry state. "Are you okay? I can call some if you want," he offered.

Max declined. "That's very nice of you, but I'm fine." She then fixed her eyes on the VIP entrance. A minute later, she saw Chloe walking out of it. Her face looked tight and tense. Max waved at her and then rushed to the exit.

"This place way too loud and smelly, let's get out of here," Max said to the approaching Chloe.

"C'mon, don't be such a party pooper!" Chloe said, lighting a joint. "Be honest with me, it was fun!"

Max remembered that she still has her earplugs in. She removed them and said, "It wasn't too bad, but uhh, I just don't like it, okay?"

They walked along the footpath and almost reached the stairs, which led to the parking lot, when Max suddenly heard the sound of bare skin, repeatedly slapping on the hard concrete of the footpath.

It was a completely naked, red-faced guy. He had short hair and was a big guy. His eyes were teary, with puffy red circles around it. Max heard his testicles slapping against his thighs as he sprinted past her, down the stairs toward the parking lot.

Max stood there, frozen and speechless. She didn't want to embarrass the guy, so avoided glaring at him. However, in the corner of her eyes, she saw the guy getting into a car and driving off. 

Chloe crossed her arms, her cheeks turned crimson, and she was grinning at Max. "Well, that was something."

"What do you think, drugs?" Max asked. She avoided eye contact with Chloe, not wanting to reveal her now tomato-red face.

"Might be PCP. Uh, I... heard it makes you feel super hot," Chloe stuttered out.

Max nudged Chloe with her elbow. "I didn't know you were such a drug expert, Chloe."

"I read a comment on a YouTube video, okay? I'm not into this hardcore shit," Chloe assured.

The girls were near their truck when their phone rang simultaneously. Max took a look at her phone and saw a worrying message from Rachel.

Rachel: How is this possible! Why can't I move?  
Rachel: You slut, you are doing this!  
Rachel: Stop it! Now!  
Rachel: Oh my god, fucking hell! Someone help me! Chloe!

"Holy crap, Chloe! Look!" Max screeched out. She showed Chloe the message.

"I got the exact same message! We need to get inside now!" Chloe yelled.

The girls ran up the stairs and passed the boy with the flyer, who also stared at his phone. Max eyes were fixed on Chloe's back as she followed her inside the party location. 

They froze for a moment, and Max scratched her head when she saw that every single person inside had its eyes glued on the phone. There was no music playing anymore, and Rachel was nowhere to be seen.

Chloe pointed at the VIP section, yelling, "She is probably there. How the fuck is she sending these messages?"

Max's mind was blank, and she noticed that her peripheral vision darkened a little bit.

Chloe raced past the girl and the bouncer, who also stared at their phones. She didn't realize that Rachel was actually in front of her, running out of the VIP area. Their faces collided at high speed, causing both to fall on the ground. Chloe landed on top of Rachel, who groaned in pain. 

"Ouch! My nose," Rachel complained, pinching her nose. A weak grin formed on her face. "Uh, that's kinda hot, you know?"

"Fuck! Rachel, what is going on? How are you doing this?" Chloe asked, rolling off Rachel to the left.

Rachel pressed her hands against the ground, lifting her upper body. "You mean the messages? Ugh..." She took a look at Max and then moved her mouth close to Chloe's ear and whispered, "I can manipulate phones, I think I have a superpower."

_ Wowser, I heard what she whispered, this is crazy. But I can see things in slow-motions so... I guess I'm not the only one with superhuman abilities. _

Chloe helped Rachel off of the ground and tried to stop the blood from pouring out of her nose. Max took a peek inside the VIP section, where she saw Nathan and Kate. Kate was limping towards Max. Her right arm was wrapped around Nathan's neck, supporting herself on him.

_ Wasn't Nathan accused of drugging Rachel? Is he trying the same with...wait, what was she called? Kate? No way! That would be nuts! _

There is no way in hell Max would let Kate be a victim of him. Max slowly crept towards the two, with her eyes fixed on Kate. Her hands started to shake. _You can do this, Max. _

"Uhm, excuse me, you must be Kate, right?" Max asked.

Kate tried hard to look at Max, but her eyes kept sliding away, floating around aimlessly.

Nathan suddenly raised his voice. "Of course, it's you again. Nosy little bitch." He let out an exasperated sigh and said to Kate, "Ignore her and don't worry. I'll bring you to a hospital."

Max nodded in surprise. "Sounds like a good... idea, I'm gonna call an ambulance!"

"No!" Nathan yelled. "Ugh, I mean, I already called one. You don't have to!"

Max glanced at her phone and noticed that she had no signal here. _I'm just gonna follow them and then call the police outside. _

Nathan clenched his right fist, and his lips began to tremble. "I don't know who the fuck you are, but you better leave!" He was breathing heavily now, and yelled to Max, " Get the fuck out! Now!"

_ I'm just gonna shut up and ignore him. No way he would be stupid enough to attack a five-feet-five girl with all the people around here. _

It seemed like Max was right. Nathan suddenly let go of Kate, and pushed her toward Max, almost causing her and Kate to stumble on the ground. 

"What did I do to you? Why are you doing this to me?" Nathan covered his face with his palms. "Do you know how fucked I am now? Fucking whore!"

Nathan's eyes turned red, and the students around him stared at the scene. Chloe and Rachel managed to get their shit together and approached Kate, who was now desperately clinging on Max's right arm.

"What is going on here?" Rachel asked, glaring between Nathan and Max.

"It looks like Kate got drugged, and Nathan said that he will bring her... you know... to a hospital..." Max answered.

"Alright. Chloe and I will handle this, call an ambulance and bring Kate outside, now!" Rachel ordered to Max.

Max nodded and gently wrapped her arm around Kate's back. Max took a quick look at Nathan and saw him sitting on a nearby chair, quietly sobbing on the table, with his head buried in his arms. 

"Leave me alone! What do you want? I can do this anymore!" Nathan shrieked out. He punched the table with his fist.

"Let's go, Kate. I will bring you outside. The fresh air will make you feel better, trust me." Max assured. She hung her messenger bag on her left shoulder and took her phone out of it with her free left hand.

_ Still, no signal. We better go outside now. Who knows what drugs Nathan used on her. Assuming that it was him, drugging her.  
_

Max and Kate left the VIP area and hobbled awkwardly along the edge of the swimming pool, heading for the exit. A few chants were coming from the poker tables and the students around them.

"Oh, shiet! Look at this gay couple! I bet they are gonna have a nice fucking!" a boy shouted.

"Ha-ha! I always knew you were into kids! Little pedo!" another voice shouted.

"Damn, son! C'mon, girls! Take off your clothes, girls! Go for a swim! Woohoo!" 

_ What the hell is wrong with these people? Can't they see that she was drugged? Cunts! _

Max had to use all of her strength to hold Kate up because she kept leaning to her side, almost falling down. But after what felt like an eternity, she and Kate finally reached the exit and walked outside.

A sudden, soft voice filled the air around Max. It was Kate, whispering, "I can't believe this, he set me up!" 

"Stay calm. You are safe with me here. I am going to call an ambulance now," Max assured. She pulled out her phone again.

Kate leaned her head against Max's shoulder and stopped moving. "Back in there, I was in hell. Now, I feel like I'm in heaven. Am I dead now?"

Max wasn't sure what to say, she typed 911 on her phone. "Ha-ha, I agree with you. And no, you didn't die!" 

"Thank god. Now tell me, freckled girl, are you my angel?" Kate asked, with her eyes closed.

Max chuckled and said, "Well, uh, I don't know. I mean, you look more like an angel, hah!" _Wait, what the hell am I saying? _"I mean, yeah, I guess, you're an angel, and I'm your angel because angels need angels too, right?"

_ What the fuck is wrong with me? _

The weak smile that formed on Kate's face faded away when she saw a lot of men walking up the stairs from the parking lot. It was David Madsen, with five policemen and three more grim-looking men, who wore FBI windbreakers behind him.

David pointed at Kate. "There is she is, Kate Marsh. Get her to the ambulance, now!" he ordered to the policeman beside him.

Max let out a long sigh of relief and took a deep breath of the fresh air. 

_ What a day, my mom almost dies. Rachel and I probably have superpowers. The weird weather, my crazy dreams, and now Kate. God, what's wrong with Nathan. Did he really spike her drink? _

"Listen! Prescott has a gun!" David suddenly yelled at the officers. "Gogogo! Get inside! Now!"

Max jumped, her lips tingled and felt numb from the adrenaline rushing through her body. Her heart began to race and she said, "Kate! I'm gonna bring you to the ambulance!"

Thankfully, the paramedics saw Kate and rushed toward her. Max said to her, "They will take care of you from now on, stay strong!"

Then, a loud gunshot echoed through the whole campus, causing Max to jump in shock. She fell on the ground and landed on her butt.

_ No way, this can't be real. Don't tell me someone got shot! Chloe! No! Please! _

Max stood up and realized that her color vision faded into a grey mess. The screams, which were coming from the party location inside, turned into low pitched grunts.

As Max run toward the entrance, she found it increasingly harder to move. It was time, slowing down into a crawl. 

_ It's like walking at the bottom of the sea. Weird, I know exactly that time is slowed down by a factor of eleven. _

All the students were desperately squeezing through the exit, trying to get the hell out. 

_ I have no other choice but to get through them somehow. _

Max waved through the students and noticed that everytime she touched someone, time sped up for a moment and that her head stung painfully. She gained a lot of momentum as she sprinted toward the VIP entrance. Unfortunately, a policeman was standing in front of it, effectively blocking everyone from getting in. He gestured stop with both of his hands to the rapidly approaching Max.

_ Shit, I'm gonna crash right into him! _

Max turned a little to the right and then ducked. She slid under his arms right into the VIP area. For her, time was nearly frozen now. This gave her some time to look around using her eyeballs.

_ Thank god my eyes are not affected by the slow-mo thing. _

Nathan was lying with his stomach on the ground. His hands were cuffed behind his back. Police officers surrounded him, one of them was grabbing him by his shirt. 

_ It looks like the officer is picking him up. Well, finally, some justice, I guess. _

Victoria was there too, passed out on the ground near a table. Her face was pale, with a big, bloody scratch on her forehead. A drop of blood was floating under her left nostril. Her cashmere was drenched, her hair wet. Glass shards were all over the floor beside her.

_ Maybe she got way too scared and passed out in shock? _

David was crouching above Victoria, his right hand placed on her shoulder. Chloe and Rachel were nowhere to be seen. Then, Max noticed that the whole place looked slightly foggy, and saw a burned-out phone lying on the ground beside Natan.

_ It's just Victoria bleeding out of her nose. I don't see any more blood here. Maybe it was just a warning shot? But where are Chloe and Rachel? Oh, wait, shit, ouch! _

A short but painful shock passed through Max's head. Time began to speed up for her. She realized that her body still had a lot of momentum and was now flying toward a table. 

Max contracted her hip flexors, lifting her legs close to her abdomen. She flew over the table, now approaching the wall behind it.

_ Shit! I need to... uh... protect my head! _

Max pressed her palms against the wall as hard as she was able to, and It seemed to work. She managed to stop and landed on a chair in front of the wall.

_ Okay, I'm still alive. Now where Chloe? _

Time was still slowed for Max, she looked around and saw that the officer from the VIP entrance was jogging toward her. His voice was too slow and low pitched, Max simply nodded, and let him grab her by the arm. The police officer escorted her outside and said something incomprehensible.

"Max?" a sudden, audible voice came from behind. Max turned around and saw Chloe in a tight female police uniform, which showed off her wide hips and a lot of her cleavage.

"Chloe? What the hell is going on?" Max then noticed Chloe's way too tight blue skirt, which stopped above her knees. "And why are uhh, wearing this?"

"Because why not? My legs are hella sexy, don't you agree?" Chloe asked, kicking her bare right leg in the air.

_ No way! I must be dreaming! I should do a reality check! _

Max felt light-headed, and her chest started to feel heavy. She found it difficult to breathe. At first, she began to count her arms.

_ One, two, three, oh, wait! I'll have to count my fingers! _

She then took a look at her blurry looking right hand.

_ Uhm, this is hard... one... two... three... f... four... five... five.... s..., yeah it's five, I'm not dreaming. _

"Don't worry, Max. You are not dreaming." Chloe assured as she grabbed Max's right hand. "I guess you wanna drive back to the hotel now?" 

"Yes, I feel sick. I swear that was my first and last party," Max complained.

"Alright, let's go, Rachel is waiting in my truck!" Chloe held Max's hand, walking off with her. "She apologized to me, and I forgave her for fucking with Frank."

Max stopped moving and let go of Chloe's hand. "Are you cereal?"

"Yep, I just can't resist her. She is way too sexy," Chloe said with a smug grin on her face.


	9. DAY 1: The Vortex Club (part 3/3)

The police officer, who escorted Max outside, ran back into the Vortex party, leaving Chloe and Max alone outside. For Max, everything felt surreal. Her vision was still in black and white, now with white, static, flickering snow covering her whole visual field. The sounds around her were inaudible too, low pitched, and stretched in time. However, Chloe wasn't affected by Max's slow-mo, and her vibrant blue policewoman outfit stood out of the grey mass around her.

"Chloe, I don't understand all of this. I don't want to be here anymore. Drive me to the hotel, please!" Max begged. Her whole body felt sluggish, and her movements were delayed.

Chloe rushed to Max, grabbing her under the arm. "Come here, I'll help you. Let's get you to the hotel, you need sleep."

"Thank you, you're the best!" Max whispered. Holding hands, she walked with Chloe at a comfortable pace across the parking lot to their truck.

As they got closer to their truck, Max felt a cold brush of air move across her legs. She looked down and saw that she was now wearing a grey skirt and a golden necklace.

_ Wowser. You are kidding me! That's Kate's outfit. Hah, my legs look so pale, I should have stayed more in the sun! _

Rachel was already waiting inside Chloe's truck, sitting in the middle. Chloe lifted her blue skirt, showing off more of their thighs, before sitting down on the driver's seat.

"Hello, Rachel," Max said as she sat down on the passenger seat.

Rachel ignored Max's friendly greeting. Instead, she stared deviously at Chloe, who sat down on the driver's seat. 

"What took you so long?" Rachel asked as drool began to drip from her mouth. She placed her hand on Chloe's bare thigh and rubbed it back and forth with her index finger.

Chloe pointed at Max. "It's her fault, she really wanted to hold hands with me. I had to drag her here."

"What!" Rachel turned her head 180 degrees toward Max, causing the tendons in her neck to snap. "You fucking whore! Chloe is mine! Do you understand? And stop watching us, you pervert!"

Max winced when she heard the sound of Rachel's neck cracking. "What? I don't feel so good, Chloe supported me walking! I'm not doing... anything."

Rachel turned her head back to Chloe and buried her fingers deep into her blue hair before starting to kiss her uncontrollably. Suddenly, Chloe balled her fists and punched Rachel in the face, causing her to scream in pain. "You fucking bitch! What are you doing!"

Chloe then pulled the gear into reverse and stepped on the gas pedal. The tires were squeaking as Chloe pulled backward out of the parking lot.

"Chloe! What are you doing! Stop!" Max screamed as she clung on the door handle. _ This is so messed up! What is Chloe doing? She will get us killed! _

Their truck spun around multiple times at the main street before Chloe managed to get it under her control. Now driving on the main street, Chloe accelerated her truck, causing Max's body to press against the seat. Chloe then slammed on the brake. The momentum caused Max's body to fly forward. Her arms snapped on the dashboard, and she flew head-first through the windshield. She did a somersault over the hood and then landed face-first on the hard asphalt.

_ What is happening? Where am I? I can't move! Where is Chloe? Did I just die? _

At first, there was only darkness, then blurriness, which was followed by a black and white scene. It was Nathan Prescott, with his hands cuffed behind his back, being lifted off the ground by a police officer. Max was able to move her eyeballs, and when she saw Victoria, still unconscious on the ground beside a table, she realized that she was back inside the Vortex Club VIP section.

_ Okay, Max. Stay calm. I'm definitely awake now. But what is going on? Why can't I move, and where is Chloe? _

Max frantically looked around, trying to figure out what the hell is going on. She then gazed at Nathan and noticed that his entire body turned bright red and that he started to move toward the ground. The redness coming from him slowly spread toward the burnt-out phone on the ground beside him. Then, the smoke around the phone turned red too and began to flow toward it. The redness began to glow and spread across the whole area. 

_ Holy crap is time flowing backward now? This is trippy! At least, uh... what do I do now? _

Max tried to move her arms and legs as hard as possible, but her attempts were futile. Instead, her whole body started to lift off the ground and to rotate to the left. At first, Max faced the ceiling, then her body turned toward the other side of the room, where she was confronted by a gruesome scene.

_ No way! Nonono! Chloe! Please let this be a dream! My little Chloe is hurt! _

Chloe was lying with her back on the ground. Her outfit was drenched in blood, with a gaping bullet-hole on her stomach. A pool of bright, red liquid surrounded her. A single tear was hovering above Chloe, slowly floating up. It was David's tear. He was crouched above Chloe. His left palm was hovering over Chloe's wounded stomach.

_ I am dreaming, this is not real. It's all in my head. She is not dead, not even in my dreams. She is not real, this is not real. Chloe, please. _

There was nothing Max could do, she couldn't even shed a single tear. Her body was stuck in time, flowing backward, just like everything else around her. She felt like being on a wooden raft on the rough sea when her body started to rotate upwards, and then flew above the table, toward the wall she hit earlier.

_ Maybe she is just injured! Yes, it's just a flesh wound. David will bring her to a hospital, and the doctors will fix her! She is okay! The doctors will save her, and then we are all gonna be happy! Everything is fine, Maxine, everything is fine! _

With nothing else to do, Max was stuck in her thoughts, and for a moment, her mind was blank, she then realized, _ Wait a moment! If I'm traveling back in time, then I could save Chloe from getting shot! _

Max managed to stay cool and watched as she and everything around her slowly traveled back in time. At first, she landed head-first against the wall from earlier, causing her vision to turn dark for a moment. 

_ Shit! I get it! My head actually collided with the wall! Then I landed on the ground and passed out! _

Max avoided looking at the injured Chloe and flew past the angry police officer, who blocked the VIP entrance. The whole swimming pool area was almost deserted, with only one guy lying handcuffed on the ground. The guy had dirty-brown hair, a blackbird tattoo on his neck, and wore a black jacket with white stripes on it.

_ This guy looks dangerous as hell... wait, I don't have time for this! Chloe is in danger! _

Still moving backward in time, Max was now waving through the panicked students, which were squeezing through the exit. She analyzed all the faces but didn't recognize a single person.

_ I don't even know how far I can travel back, and how do I stop this time travel thing? _

Max was now outside, running backward in time to the paramedics at the parking lot. A faint, low-pitched ringing noise, began to ring in her ears. She noticed that everything around her turned less red and more black and white.

_ Shit, I can feel it. My time-travel power is getting weaker. Please, I just have to travel back until I'm with Kate again and see David with the policeman. _

Now at the parking lot, Max heard a loud, low-pitched rumbling noise, which she assumed was the gunshot. _ I just heard Chloe getting shot again. This is the worst sound ever. _ Max's body turned around, toward the drugged up Kate, who stood beside a paramedic. Kate let go of him in reverse and walked backward toward Max. 

Passing David and the officers, who walked back to the parking lot, Max and Kate limped back to the party entrance. For a moment, Max's vision turned blue, then into a colorful night. She then heard a low pitched sound, which turned into an audible female voice.

_That's it, no more slow-mo. I have to do this fast. _

",em llet woN NN Now tell me, freckled girl, are you my—" Kate asked, but Max cut her off.

"Yes, I'm your angel, Kate, and I will find whoever did this to you. Stay right here!" Max said. She then let go of Kate, pointed at her, and yelled, "This girl needs help, anyone, here!" 

Running back inside the party, Max had to push a few people out of her away and then approached the bouncer, who guarded the VIP entrance. The bouncer stepped in front of Max, grabbing her left arm. "What the fuck are you doing?" he asked.

"Let me in! Chloe is in danger!" Max pleaded. She failed to wiggle herself free from the bouncer's tight grip and started to scream. "Chloe! Chloe! Where are you! Come out! Please! Nathan has a gun! He is dangerous! He is gonna kill you!"

Everyone's face turned toward Max. "This bitch is drugged up!" a voice sneered. 

Thankfully, a blue-haired, tall girl appeared from the VIP area. It was Chloe, yelling, "Holy shit, Max? You need to see this!" she then looked at the bouncer. "Dude, let her go!"

"Chloe! You're alive! Thank god! Please, come with me!" Max yelled back at Chloe. 

"You two better leave now, or we are going to have trouble," the bouncer said in a commanding voice.

Chloe ignored everything the bouncer ordered. Instead, she punched his arm, forcing him to let go of Max. "Max! Come inside. Now!" Chloe ordered as she grabbed Max's hand and pulled her inside the VIP area.

A bright red light blinded Max as she entered the VIP area. It was Nathan, and his whole body looked frozen in time. He was also glowing, emitting various shades of red. 

_ Chloe is alive, and Nathan is frozen in time... or is he? I don't care, thank god Chloe is alive! _

Now feeling light-headed, Max approached Nathan saw that he had a gun in his right hand. His whole right arm was slowly moving up.

_ When I moved back in time, everything turned red. Does this mean he is moving back in time right now? Whatever, this is not my problem. Chloe is alive, that's all that matters to me. _

"Max? Do you have any idea what is going on here?" Chloe asked, stepping beside Max.

"I don't care," Max whispered to herself. She suddenly wrapped her hands around Chloe's upper body and hugged her. _ Chloe is alive and well. Thank god. That was so horrific. I should drive with her back to the hotel. This place is fucked up, and I feel bad. _

"Max, I really enjoy... uh... you! But it's not the time right now!" Chloe said. She pointed at the passed out Victoria, who had her two minions standing beside her. "Victoria has a mind control superpower or something!"

Still in Chloe's arms, Max's closed her eyes. "Are you for real? A... and what's with Rachel? Where is she?" 

"When you left with Kate, she and Nathan had a fight, and Victoria passed out. That's the last thing I remember!" Chloe said. Max let go of her.

Max stumbled a step forward toward Chloe and attempted to hug her again. However, when she felt a sharp pain flashing through her spine, she almost fell to the ground. Luckily, Chloe caught her under the arm. "Whoa, Supermax!" 

As Max stood there in Chloe's arms again she began to feel a tingling sensation on her toes and fingertips. Her fingers started to feel numb, and her skin like leather.

_ It's like my arms and legs are falling asleep. This is scary! What is going on now? _

"Chloe! My arms! Help me!" Max yelled, showing her normal-looking tiny hands to Chloe.

"Shit! Victoria is trying to take over your body now! We need to get out of here!" 

Max felt weak on her legs, but at least the weird sensation suddenly faded away. She said, "Uh, Chloe, I suddenly feel better now. Shouldn't we call an ambulance for Victoria? I mean she is a bitch, but still..."

Suddenly, the blonde girl with long hair beside Victoria stiffened her whole body and stood up. Her arms were extended stiff, her hands beside her hips, her fingers, flexed into a fist. The girl's mouth hung open with drool hanging from her chin. 

"Kari!" the blonde girl suddenly screamed as she stared at Chloe. "It's me, Court... no, uhh, Taylor, it's me, Taylor!"

Chloe began to mumble as she approached the blonde girl. "Holy fucking crap, it's you, Tori, right? This is so freaky. But there is something wrong with you!"

"Shut your mouth and listen. I can't go back—,"

Suddenly, a loud, manly scream interrupted the blonde girl. "Nathan Prescott? Where is he? Woah!" It was David Madsen, and when he saw Nathan, glowing red, he covered his mouth in shock. 

"Shit shit shit!" Chloe whispered to Max when she saw the four police officers and the three FBI agents behind him. She grabbed Max's hand and sneaked with her past David and the officers, who were mesmerized by the glowing Nathan. Max heard David whisper, "That's why his thoughts are so... this is unbelievable," as she jogged past him with Chloe.

Max and Chloe waved through the crowd of students, which formed around the VIP entrance, and then ran toward the parking lot.

"Now that was fun, wasn't it?" Chloe said with a smile.

Suddenly Max pulled Chloe into a weak hug. "Chloe, come here!" Then her knees collapsed, but Chloe managed to wrap both her arms around Max's upper body, preventing her from falling to the hard ground.

Chloe gently rubbed Max's back with her finger. "Max? What's up with you? Why are you trying to hug me all the time? You look so shaken up too! What's going on?" 

"Oh Chloe, I had a fucked up dream, and then I saw you die! I'm so confused, I don't understand this whole situation anymore," Max said. She felt nauseous, her eyelids kept falling down.

"I think we should get the fuck out of this place before my step-nazi comes back with his Gestapo." Chloe helped the tired Max into the passenger seat. "I have enough weed for twenty joints. If they caught me I would be dead!" 

Max felt her stomach tightening. "Hah, yeah. Thank dog, they were distracted by Nathan."

Chloe sat in the driver's seat. "I don't know what happened to you, Max, but you gotta explain this to me."

Max's face began to pale. "Me? You need to explain Rachel and whatever happened inside there! Plus the messages from her!"

Chloe sat into the driver's seat, turning the ignition key. "Shit! I forgot Rachel! Where the hell is she!" 

"Text her?" Max suggested.

"Good idea!" Chloe pulled out her phone and texted Rachel. "I... actually don't remember much. Nathan and Rachel had an argument, Victoria passed out. The first thing I remember was, everyone was gone, and Nathan was glowing! Fuck! Then you came in!"

When Chloe pulled out of the parking lot, Max placed her hand on her rumbling stomach. "Are you kidding me? Should we tell the police or something?"

"No fucking way! They are all corrupt as hell!" Chloe said, her phone rang. 

Chloe checked her phone. She sighed in relief and closed her eyes. "It's from Rachel, she is okay. She is at her parents' place."

Max felt cold sweat running down her forehead and something running down her nose. "But what's with Rachel's messages? Didn't you crash right into her when she ran out of the VIP area? Why was she running out? You landed on top of her, and then she didn't sound scared anymore!"

"I don't know, I didn't talk with her since then. She was busy with the crying Nathan, and... I just don't know..."

Max interrupted Chloe. "Alright, Chloe, it's fine. You're alive and okay, and that's all I care about. But seriously, my brain... my brain is fried now!"

Max felt her stomach tightening again, trying to squeeze bits of bacon up her throat. "I feel sick! I think my slow-mo thing is messing with my head!"

"I understand, hah! Your bain was running on maximum overdrive today! Wait, that's actually a good nickname for you!" Chloe said as she took a look in the side mirror.

"I think I'm suffering from information overload right now, we should talk about this whole situation tomorrow," Max said. She rubbed her fingers under her nose and saw that her fingers became red with blood. She wiped the blood from her nose with the back of her hand. Suddenly, Max's whole vision darkened before a bright flash blinded her. 

"Chloe, I'm gonna puke! Stop the truck!" Max managed to yell out as she cranked down the window. Unfortunately, the knob of the crank broke off, leaving the window half-open. _ Damn piece of shit! _

"Max! There is someone following us again!" Chloe suddenly yelled as a bright flash of light, coming from behind, lighted up the whole streets. She increased her speed, now pushing around 66 MPH through Arcadia Bay.

"I don't care! Stop, or I will puke all over your seats!" Max complained, now holding her mouth closed.

"I don't give a shit! Look at my truck! Your vomit will probably improve its appearance!"

"Shit, Chloe!" Max yelled as she leaned half of her face out the half-open window. She let her gag reflex take over and puked out bits of bacon as the strong wind blew on her face. Sadly, half of her stomach content flew back right into the truck, splashing on the seats and rear window.

_ Yep, worst day of my life. _Max thought. Her heart dropped when they approached an intersection, with yellow blinking traffic lights, at great speed. Still blinded by the high beams of the vehicle from behind, Chloe slammed on her brakes and then did a hard left turn. 

"Fucking cunt asshole. Thank god we're soon at the hotel," Chloe complained. She accelerated her truck again, and the bright lights coming from the chaser began to disappear into the horizon. "He is gone, thank fuck for that!"

Max sighed in relief and closed her eyes. The faint smell of half-digested bacon and eggs began to fill the truck. Two minutes later, the two girls arrived safely at the hotel and parked in front of it. 

Chloe suddenly sniffed the air. "You smelling that? Shit! Must be coming from the engine!"

"The only thing I smell is vomit and bacon inside my nose," Max said. Her eyes teared up from the burning sensation in her nose.

"Yeah. By the way, thanks for fucking up my truck, " Chloe said, pointing back at the puke-covered rear window.

"Hey! I told you to pull over!" Max said, getting out of the truck.

Chloe giggled and got out of her truck too. "Chill, I'm just messing with you!"

"So, what's the plan? I mean this whole situation with the Vortex party," Max asked, approaching Chloe.

Chloe lighted a joint and leaned on the driver's door. "No idea, to be honest. I guess the police or the government will take over, especially with Nathan. He was... glowing like lava, like what the fuck?" 

"Agree! And I swear, I'm beginning to feel traumatized from this! I mean, I saw you injured! You were covered in blood and had a bullet wound on your stomach!" Max leaned on the truck beside Chloe. "And Kate too... I forgot about her, damned!"

"Wait, did that happen in your dream? And didn't you bring Kate to an ambulance?" Chloe asked, taking a puff of her joint.

"Maybe, I don't know what's real anymore. I... shit, I should do a reality check!" Max counted two arms, and then five fingers on her right hand. Also, she wasn't able to breathe with her mouth and nose held shut.

_ This is real life. And the pain in my head is definitely real too. _

With a moan, Max buried her face in her palms, the only thing in her mind now was sleep. She closed her eyes, let out a yawn, and said, "I'm so done for today. What about you, Chlo? Wanna stay with me at the hotel?"

Chloe flicked her joint into a nearby manhole, and a beautiful smile formed on her face. "Sleeping with you sounds awesome. Let's go!"

Max slowly opened her parents' hotel room door, and quickly realized that the lights were on. The girls went inside, where they were greeted by Vanessa, who talked with someone on her smartphone.

Vanessa nodded, saying, "Aha, yes. I make sure to tell her that." She then spotted the girls and stared at Chloe. "Oh, wait. She just came into the hotel room with my daughter."

"Shit, she must be talking to my mom!" Chloe whispered to Max.

Vanessa's face turned red. "Yeah, I know, this is unacceptable. I'm sure... okay... yes. No, I didn't see the news."

Max let out a soft giggle. "I can't wait to read the news tomorrow!" she whispered to Chloe.

"Alright, the dinner still stands? You don't have—" Vanessa cleared her throat and then nodded. "5PM? Sounds good, I'm pretty sure our vehicle will be fixed by then."

_ Dinner with Joyce, Chloe, and my parents. Hmm, I wonder if David is coming too, especially after what happened today. _

Vanessa turned off her phone and then turned her attention to the girls. She sighed and shook her head as she approached Max. "I don't know what happened at the party—" She then noticed Max's slightly bloody nose. "Max? Are you hurt?" 

"I'm not, and I wanna go to sleep now. I'm tired, can Chloe stay?"

"I just talked with Joyce." Vanessa turned her head toward Chloe. "She is worried about you and wants to see you, now! You drive home."

Max interrupted. "Then I go with Chloe and stay with—" Suddenly, Max's head began to spin. She winced and covered her face in pain. "I... I'm going—"

Vanessa caught the stumbling Max and then glanced at Chloe. "Chloe, you better leave now! You will see her tomorrow anyway."

"Max, uh... okay then! I'll text you in the morning! I hope you get... well...I hope you feel better tomorrow!" Chloe mumbled out before leaving the hotel room.

With the help of her mom, Max limped to the bed. She heard a door closing from behind, and a toilet flushing coming from the bathroom. She landed face-first into the soft and big pillow and then felt a blanket being put over her tired body.

"Sleep well, Max," Vanessa whispered.

"You too," Max whispered before her mind drifted into sleep.


End file.
